Hidden Pleasure
by SilverMoons and PaperChains
Summary: Modern day AU. Katniss and Peeta have been secretly dating behind their parents' backs. One day when the Mellark's leave the youngest son to handle the bakery alone and Katniss comes in to visit him, things get a little out of hand. Warning: Mature content. In other words, BIG FAT LEMON. Originally a oneshot, now a multi-chapter story!
1. Chapter 1

Hellooo! x

I haven't posted on this site in a while but I've been kinda practicing writing IRL and stuff like that so I decided to try again. I really think this is a good lemon! If you agree please tell me, and if not please (nicely) tell me why so I can fix it! Otherwise - enjoy!

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The class assignment will always match the task at hand. That just seems to be the norm in a literature class of high-schoolers who each think that their own problem is the end of the world. Still, I can't help but think how ridiculous my own problem seems when compared to a story about two young lovers who kill themselves because their families have such a strong hatred towards each other. There is a difference, though. These young lovers only knew each other for less than a week when they decided that they were madly in love. We have known each other for years. Not that anyone else knows that.

I look up from my paper, only to find that he is staring right back at me from the other side of the room. He looks away immediately and focuses instead on the teacher, who continues to babble on about the tragic deaths of the lovers. I look through the window near my desk and sigh, wishing that I could be out there with him. This class, the last one of the day, always seems to drag on.

"Katniss."

The teacher looks at me from the front of the room and raises an eyebrow. She is obviously prepared to ask me a question. And it is even more obvious that she thinks I will give her the wrong answer.

"Do you think it was sensible for the two young lovers to meet secretly against their families' wishes?"

Without even looking, I can already feel his bright blue eyes on me. I sigh, as if I am deep in thought, before answering her question.

"Yes, I think so," I say slowly, glancing at him.

"And why do you say that?"

"Because..." I twirl my pen between my fingers. "It's obvious that they have strong feelings for each other. And in the mind of a young teenager, those feelings need to be acknowledged. They wanted to show their love for each other, and they wanted to show their parents that it is their choice who they will love."

I look at him briefly to see the small smile that has formed on his face.

"A middle school level analysis." I roll my eyes, as she returns to the chalkboard. "Still better than your usual responses, Ms. Everdeen."

"Thanks," I mutter, returning my attention to the window.

For the remainder of the class, I glance at the teacher, watch the window, and discreetly look at him. I can tell that he is drawing throughout the entire lesson, and I smile, knowing exactly what is on his paper. He looks back at me only once more and smiles before he continues to sketch. Finally, after what seems like hours, the bell rings, indicating that the class has ended. He stands up and glances at me, as I meet my friend, Madge in the front of the room.

"Today was _too_ long," Madge sighs. "Oh well. You free later?"

"No, sorry." I glance at him, speaking purposefully. "I have plans later. With Prim."

"Ah, sucks..." She shrugs. "Maybe another time."

I nod as we continue down the hallway together. Waves of students rush past me, excited about their Friday night plans. As I walk I overhear at least ten different people talking about parties and getting drunk, and I can't help but smile knowing that what's waiting for me is so much better.

"Do you need a ride?" I ask, as I do every time we walk out of the building.

"No, I'm okay," she smiles. "_Gale _said he'd pick me up!"

"Oh, you lucky girl," I say, rolling my eyes.

"That I am!"

She giggles and says 'goodbye' before rushing off toward the parking lot. I snort as I watch her before continuing to my own car. Prim decided to go home with her friend, Rue, today which means I can go straight to my destination without dropping her off first. As I drive, I can't help but smile to myself. My heart is racing just at the thought of what I'm about to do. I'm so excited that I almost drive right past the bakery. Luckily, I manage to stop and find a parking spot before I get too far from it.

I take a deep breath and shut off my car. As I get out I look around at all the people walking through the town. It seems to be mostly children returning from school and adults returning from work. I look back and forth before I begin to walk toward the bakery doors. With a smile, I push open the door and hear the familiar chiming of the bells.

As soon as I walk in, I'm greeted by the warmth and the sweet smell of the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and everything that makes this bakery what it is. It is completely empty, considering the time. The ceiling fan rotates slowly, to keep the room from getting too hot, but otherwise, the room is completely still. I breathe in the air for a moment before meandering behind the counter and into the back room.

I smile as my eyes find him in the corner of the room, with his back turned to me. He lifts a bag of flour showing off the toned muscles in his arms. I bite my lip and press my legs together as I imagine those arms wrapped around my body. He looks around and does a double-take when he sees me. He smiles and lowers the flour onto the ground again and then rushes over to me.

"I was starting to wonder where you were."

"Did you think I forgot?" I smirk.

That smirk quickly disappears from my face, as he lowers his lips to my neck.

"Not after what you said in class today." He presses his lips against my skin and I shudder at the feeling of his breath. "You could never forget, you look forward to this way too much."

"Can't argue with that."

I close my eyes and tilt my head back until I hit the wall behind me as he sucks on my neck, looking for my sensitive spot. His hands squeeze my hips before trailing up and down my body. In turn, my hands roam up his muscular torso until they meet behind his neck. I let out a whimper as he finds the most sensitive spot on my neck and starts sucking on it and grazing it with his teeth. He groans against my skin and begins to push the strap of my shirt off of my shoulder.

"Peeta," I breathe out. "When are your parents coming back?"

"Don't worry about it," he mutters, slowly creating a trail of kisses down to exposed shoulder. "We have plenty of time."

My breathing turns into panting as he sucks on my skin and slowly slides his hand onto my inner thigh. His hand is moving so painfully slow that it takes all of my self control to keep myself from reaching down and guiding it myself. I throw my head back and groan as he presses his thumb against the area between my legs through my clothes. When I open my eyes, I am face-to-face with him and I am mesmerized by the dark color of his usually bright eyes. He presses his lips against mine in a rough kiss as he hoists me up so that my legs are around his waist. I smile against his lips, already knowing where he is taking me. I make sure to wait until he has gotten up the stairs before I press my hips against his. He groans into my mouth and stumbles for a moment before regaining his balance.

As soon as we reach his bedroom, he kicks the door shut behind him and throws me onto the bed. Without breaking eye contact, he pulls off his T-shirt- revealing his muscular torso- and crawls on top of me. I barely have a chance to take in the sight of his perfect body before his lips are on mine again. I run my hands over his chest and broad shoulders and he sighs into my mouth. It's not enough. I pull away from him and sit up.

He breathes shakily as I pull my shirt over my head, throw it to he ground, and reach behind me to undo the clasp of my bra. The second that it touches the floor, he is on top of me again. This time his hands explore the newly exposed skin as he slowly moves his lips away from mine. His lips linger on my jawline, my neck, my collarbone, my chest. I gasp as he glides his tongue over my breast. I arch my back and let my hips come off the bed as he sucks on my breast and uses his hand to massage the other. He teases my nipples and I begin to breathe so hard that I think I might reach my climax right then and there. My fingers tug lightly at his hair as I squirm around underneath him.

My eyes close and my mouth hangs open so that any and all moans can come out freely. His tongue and hand working on my breasts feel so good that I barely even notice it when he starts moving down again. He spreads kisses around my stomach as his hands undo the zipper of my jeans and pull them from my legs. I open my eyes just as he looks up at me, silently asking for permission. I nod and he slowly pulls my underwear off as well. I shudder in anticipation, as he slowly trails a hand down my chest, to my stomach, my hips, and then...

"Ah!" I cry out as he slides a finger between my folds.

My hips raise in the direction of his hand, searching for the friction that my center craves. He smirks at me but gladly gives in. He slowly fingers me, feeling how wet I am for him. I whimper as his finger brushes against my throbbing clit. He smirks at me -knowing how easily he could make me orgasm by paying attention to this little bundle of nerves. But instead he decides to tease me.

"You're so wet," he mutters as he presses a finger against me again and watches me throw my head back and moan. When I look up at him, he brushes his finger against me so lightly that I can just barely feel him. "Do you want it?"

"I-" My panting makes it difficult to speak.

"Say it, Katniss." His eyes seem ever darker than before. "Tell me you want it."

"I... I want it, Peeta." I try to keep myself under control. "I want _you._"

As soon as those words leave my mouth, and restraint that either of us had is gone. Without missing a beat Peeta lowers his lips between my legs and begins to lick and suck on my wet clit. I gasp as my hands latch onto the bed sheets for dear life. I almost scream as he pleasures me with his mouth, making my entire center ache. His hands hold onto my hips to keep them on the bed as my body writhes in pleasure. He pushes his tongue inside of me and I whimper as he sucks on my wetness. I can feel myself getting closer by the second as he pleasures me like only he can. He pulls my clit into his mouth with his tongue, throwing me into one of the best orgasms I've ever had. I moan and yell his name as every muscle in my body seems to tense and relax. He continues to suck on me as I ride out my orgasm until I finally pull him back up to me. I pull his head down until his lips reach mine and give him the best kiss that I can post-orgasm. I can taste myself on his lips and I can't help but groan just at the thought.

"Would you like me to return the favor?" I smirk lazily as I slowly reach down to feel how hard he is even through his jeans.

He hisses at the contact but quickly shakes his head.

"Katniss, I really don't think I can last that long right now. I need to be inside of you."

His words make my heart race. I only manage to nod as he tugs his pants and boxers off of his legs and drops them onto the floor. He crawls on top of me, letting me see that he is hard and definitely ready for me. My breathing picks up again as I start to feel excited again just at the thought of what he is about to do to me. I wrap my legs around his waist and groan as he slowly rubs his hard member against my clit to prepare me. He pulls away for just a moment before I feel him enter my tight center. I throw my head back as he slowly thrusts into me, rubbing my thighs the entire time. I run my hands over the tight muscles on his shoulders and his back and watch his face as he pants with each thrust and a thin layer of sweat starts to form on his body.

My entire body heats up as well when he finds that perfect spot inside of me. I whimper as he hits my spot with each thrust. I push my hips against his at the same rhythm as he starts to move in and out of my faster_._

_"Faster," _I whine as the pleasure builds. "_Harder. _Peeta, fuck me harder!"

That's all I needed to say. He grabs my hips and rams into me, making me scream. While still fucking me into oblivion, he removes one of his hands from my hips and starts to rub my clit. And I swear I can see stars. My mouth hangs open letting out my screams of pleasure. My entire area is throbbing and aching yet I never want this to end. But the pleasure become to much. At the same time, Peeta presses down on my clit and thrusts into me and my entire body begins to convulse uncontrollably. I am vaguely aware of Peeta groaning and releasing inside of me before he collapses on top of me.

For quite some time we both just lie there- panting- trying so hard to catch our breath. Finally after what seems like forever, Peeta slowly pulls out of me and slowly rolls over so that he is lying next to me. Both of us are still panting when we look at each other and smile.

"That was incredible," I barely manage to whisper.

"I'll say." He nuzzles his nose into my hair. "We should do it more often."

"How often can we do it if your parents are always home?"

I immediately regret saying that since he goes completely quiet for quite some time. He slowly strokes my hair and stares at the ceiling before sighing.

"I'll tell them the truth."

I can't help but feel surprised. We have always been sneaking around behind our parents' backs. We thought it was just better and easier that way. Plus we both know how much his mother hates me _and _my family. We both knew how horribly she would react if he ever told her about us. He couldn't possibly be serious.

"You will?"

"Yes," he says more certainly this time- looking into my eyes. "I have to. We can't keep sneaking around like this. I love you, Katniss. I want everyone to know it. Is that okay?"

I stare at him for a few moments before slowly nodding and intertwining my fingers with his.

"I love you too," I tell him. "And I think everyone should know that."

He smiles and pulls me into his chest. With his arms wrapped around me so tightly I feel completely safe and happy. Still I can't help but worry about what will happen when we tell our parents. I hope that this doesn't end like that story from English class. I only hope that they will accept us.

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I hope you enjoyed it and I hope the lemon was okay! :P Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	2. Chapter 2

Hellooo! x

This was originally a oneshot, but I got such a good reaction from it so I decided to try making it a multi-chapter story! There's probably gonna be more lemons and a little drama thrown in but there's also gonna be a little fluff here and there. This chapter is kinda like the calm before the storm and it shows why their families hate each other. Enjoy!

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I can't help but feel a little nervous as I walk into school on Monday. I haven't been able to see Peeta since Friday when he decided that we should tell our parents about us. A smile sneaks onto my face as I remember that amazing day, wishing I could go back, but I shake it off. I have to focus. There's no telling how today will go. I don't know if I'm supposed to ignore Peeta- like I usually do- or if we're supposed to start openly talking to each other or maybe even kissing in public. Who knows? Certainly not me.

"Hey!" Madge smiles when I reach her locker. "How was your weekend?"

"It was all right," I lie. "How was yours?"

"Great! I got to spend some time with Gale: After he dropped me off, I invited him in and-"

"Had sex!"

"Katniss!"

"What?" She shakes her head as I stand there laughing at her. "I'm sorry! Go ahead."

"Thank you." She rolls her eyes. "I was gonna say, we had _dinner _together! I think he might actually like me."

"Well that's great. Time to make your move, I guess?"

"What? No! I couldn't do that." She shuts her locker and looks at me for a moment. "Could I?"

"Why not?"

I start to walk down the hallway and Madge follows me, still looking like she is deep in thought. The halls are packed now since there's only about five minutes until the first bell rings so it's pretty difficult to get through everyone. Still I manage. And still I manage to catch those blue eyes staring at me from across the hallway. When I look back at him he gives me a heartwarming smile, but I freeze not knowing if I should just keep walking or go over to him.

"Katniss?" Madge says as she waves her hand in front of my face. "What are you doing?"

"Oh um..." I look down and start walking again. "I thought I forgot something, but I didn't. I'm good."

"Are you feeling okay? You look a little..." She shrugs. "You know."

"I'm fine. I guess I am a little tired though."

Madge nods and we continue into our classroom. We both sit down next to each other and place our books on our desks. I kick my bag under my chair and sit back with a heavy sigh. The bell rings, and the rest of the groggy- some probably hungover- students shuffle into the room and take their seats while the teacher greets us. She starts talking about today's lesson plan but I stop paying attention seconds into her lecture. Thoughts of Peeta are still racing through my mind so much that I'm unable to think of anything else. I fold my arms and rest my head on the desk, knowing that my teacher won't even look twice.

My daydreams begin as soon as I close my eyes. First, I imagine Prim cheering and squealing when I tell her that Peeta and I are together, then my mother giving me a look that borders between disbelief and disapproval. Second, I imagine Peeta's mother gasping and yelling as soon as he breaks the news to her.

My mind flashes back to the horrible day that Mrs. Mellark confronted my mother in the street, months after my father died.

_My mother held Prim in her arms and held onto my hand to walk through the town together. I cannot remember what we were going to buy, but I remember Mrs. Mellark storming over to us, pulling her son along behind her._

_"You!" She pointed a bony finger at my mother. "You little slut!"_

_"Etta!" My mother took a step back and tightened her grip on both Prim and me. "What are you-"_

_"Don't play dumb with me, Genevieve!" At this point a small crowd had formed a few feet away and Peeta looked about as scared as I felt. "I know what you did. I know that you were screwing him! You were just waiting for your husband to die, weren't you, so you could-"_

_"Etta." My mother glanced down at me with tears in her eyes. "I never did anything with your husband. I loved Malcolm, I would never disrespect him like that. Believe me when I-"_

_She was cut off when Mrs. Mellark slapped her so hard across the face that I winced at the noise. Peeta screamed for his mother to stop and Prim- who my mother was still clutching onto- began to cry. My blood was boiling as I watched her take another step toward my mother. Before I could do or say anything, one of the spectators stepped in between them and Mrs. Mellark yelled that she didn't even want to look at my mother anyway. She stormed off, practically dragging Peeta behind her. Our eyes met for only a moment before his mother started yelling at him most likely to relieve her anger towards my mother. I looked up at my mother and saw the red mark on her cheek and the tears in her eyes._

_"Come on." She grabbed my hand. "We're going home."_

"Katniss?" I open my eyes to find Madge standing over me. "Kat, class is over."

I look around to see that the classroom is almost completely empty. I must have fallen asleep at some point to miss the bell. I thank Madge and get up from my seat. We part from each other in the hallway to go to our next classes. The day goes by so painfully slow, probably because I'm so nervous to find out what Peeta has decided. Although I see him when I get to lunch, I know that I cannot possibly approach him while he is sitting at his usual table with all of his friends. So I sit down at my usual table with Madge and wait until she comes back from buying lunch. I take out my notebook since I'll probably have to copy the notes that I missed when I fell asleep this morning. I hear a tray touch the table, and someone sits down next to me. I open up my notebook and turn to face her.

"Madge, can you-"

I look up only to realize that it was not Madge. Peeta is sitting right in front of me, smiling at me, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You're not Madge," I say slowly. He chuckles. "What are you doing?"

"I thought if we're going to let everyone know about us, then I should at least be able to sit with you at lunch."

"Okay," I say nervously as I close my notebook and look around. I knew that Peeta was popular but I didn't quite realize _how _popular he was until now when I see how many people are watching us. "Peeta, people are looking."

"Let them." He grins as he grabs my hand. I can tell from the corner of my eye that he is confused when I look down and blush. I'm not exactly used to this kind of attention. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just freaking me out a little." He squeezes my hand as he starts to pick at his food with his free hand. "So, when do you think you're going to tell your mom?"

"Katniss." He sighs. "You know I can't tell her right now."

"Why not? You told me you would, and now you're taking it back?"

"I'm not taking it back-"

"Yes you are." I shake my head, feeling a little disappointment. "You always do. You say that you'll tell them one day, and you never do. You've been _trying _to tell your mother for four years, Peeta. If you don't want to tell her, that's fine. But don't keep getting my hopes up and letting me down."

I regret the words as soon as I look at the pained expression on his face but I say nothing else. Unfortunately, he doesn't say anything either. He just stares at me just like at least half of the people in this room. Without him talking, I start to become extremely aware of all the eyes on me.

"I gotta get out of here," I mutter nervously.

He calls after me as I pick up my bag and head for the cafeteria entrance. But I barely hear him because I'm still aware of their eyes following me all the way to the glass doors and down the halls. Once I finally turn into the next hallway, I take a breath of relief, glad that none of them can see me anymore. I look both ways to make sure there are no teachers walking around before I lean against one of the lockers and close my eyes.

"God, you're fast." My eyes shoot open and I gasp louder than I meant to. Peeta smiles at me sheepishly and reaches out to play with the ends of my hair. "What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry. It freaked me out to have all those people looking at me."

I close my eyes and let a small smile form on my face as he kisses my cheek gently.

"We're gonna have to get used to it. It's gonna be like that for a while. You know that, right?"

"I know." I nod reluctantly. "But I still wish we could just be together without worrying about our parents finding out or having random people staring at us."

"Well we have some time right now." He smirks but I shake my head at him. "Kat, I know this isn't ideal." He runs his fingers through my hair for a moment before resting his hand on my cheek, and I think I might melt into him right then and there. "I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to fix this and make you happy. Everything's gonna be okay. Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

He smiles and leans down to rest his forehead against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck as he wraps his around my waist and pulls me up against him. His lips just barely graze mine when-

"No PDA's in the hallway!" a teacher passing by yells at us. "Get to class!"

"I think she's jealous," Peeta whispers. I giggle as I watch her turn the corner.

"Well she's gone now."

"And?" He smirks at me but I scowl to show him that I am not in the mood for his teasing today.

"Just kiss me," I mutter as I pull him into me again.

Our lips meet and he smiles against me as I run my fingers through his hair. He gently licks my bottom lip- like he always does when we kiss- and easily slides his tongue into my mouth. I moan softly into his mouth to show him how much I love it when he does this.

"What is going on _here_?"

We both break apart abruptly to see a green-eyed, bronze-haired guy smirking at us with his arms folded over his chest.

"Dammit Finnick!" Peeta groans.

"Finnick?"

Of course I have seen this guy and Peeta hanging out together in school and around town but I never really took the time to figure out his name.

"And I assume you are the lovely Katniss Everdeen that Peeta has been talking about?" He bows and clasps his hands together in mock-excitement. "It is wonderful to finally meet you!

"You told him?" I look at Peeta who is still glaring at Finnick.

"Finnick, can't you see that we're... _talking_?"

"She must be a close talker, eh?" He chuckles and throws his hands up. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you guys alone, but I better hear about this later!"

Peeta groans again as Finnick strolls back to the cafeteria. Finally, he gives me an apologetic look.

"Believe it or not, the guy's my best friend and he's pretty nice when you get to know him, kinda." I fold my arms and stare at him. "I had to tell _someone, _Katniss. It was killing me to keep it to myself. I wanted someone to know, and I knew I could trust him to keep it a secret. I'm sure you've told someone too. Maybe Prim or Madge?" I shake my head and he makes a confused face at me. "Nobody? How?"

"It's pretty easy. I never tell anyone anything."

"Except me?" he asks hopefully.

"Except you." I finally cave and give him a small smile and he grins back at me. "We should probably get back to the cafeteria soon."

He drops his head on my shoulder and groans.

"I'd rather stay out here with you." I grin and pull away from him so that he'll follow me. "One more kiss?"

I look over my shoulder at him and nod, making him smile like a little kid on Christmas morning. He moves over to me and kisses me slowly like he has all the time in the world.

"I'll tell them today," he says into my lips. "I promise."

I smile against him as my stomach fills with butterflies. Of course I am excited for our parents to find out but at the same time I am afraid for Peeta. I've always been worried about how my mother will react, but I know that his mother will be at least ten times worse.

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Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	3. Chapter 3

Hellooo! x

I am sorry that this chapter is a little short but I was feeling a little stuck! I decided the next chapter will kinda be like part two of this chapter to make up for it. Enjoy!

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The final bell rings and I hop up out of my seat so that I can talk to Peeta one more time before we both go home to tell our parents the truth. Unfortunately someone steps in front of me to stop me. I look up and find myself looking at Madge as she smiles back at me. I look across the room at Peeta who gives me a quick smile before walking out with one of his friends. I sigh and look back at Madge.

"I was wondering," she says as we start to walk out of the classroom. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Of course, I should have expected this. She was sitting at the lunch table when Peeta and I walked back in together. She was sitting there when he hugged me before returning to his usual table. She was there when I was blushing and smiling so much that I could barely look up from my food.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She snorts as we walk through the school doors and head for the parking lot. "Need a ride?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then you better stay on my good side!"

She rolls her eyes and groans.

"Come _on_, Katniss! It's so obvious what's going on." She grins at me as I avoid looking at her. "I just want to hear you say it!"

I sigh in relief when we reach my car. I open the door and plop down on my seat as Madge does the same in the passenger seat. With a turn of the key, my car starts up- making more disturbing noises than last time.

"Are you sure this car is still safe to drive?"

"The doors haven't fallen off yet," I mutter as I put it into drive. "The windows aren't shattered. It's not leaking fuel. I'd say it's pretty damn good."

"Of course you would." She sighs and starts playing with the radio. "Okay. Now tell me everything!"

"There's not much to tell," I say slowly to buy myself some time. "Our families hate each other so we've been dating behind their backs." I jump as Madge starts squealing. "Madge! I'm driving here!"

"Oh my god!" she yells, ignoring me. "How long has this been going on?"

"Not important."

"It's completely inportant!"

"A few years, all right?"

"_Years_?" She gapes at me from the passenger seat for a good thirty seconds before speaking again. "And you never told me?"

"I never told anyone! Trust me, it's nothing personal."

"God." She lets out a humorless laugh and falls back against her seat. "So you haven't even told Prim yet? Gale?"

"No and no. I'm telling them today so don't you dare say anything," I tell her as I pull up next to her driveway.

"I won't!" She grins as she pushes the door open and climbs out of my car. "Mum's the word!"

She giggles and waves as she saunters up to her front door. I continue to drive back to my own house, hoping that Prim and my mother be as happy as Madge. Unfortunately I know that the reaction I get from my mother won't be quite as good as hers. I take a deep breath as I pull into our small driveway. My nerves start to get the best of me and I wish I could just stay here and sleep in my car all night instead of facing my mother. I pull my phone out of my bag and open it only to see that I have already received a text. It was sent one minute after school ended.

_*Don't be nervous, love. You can do this. I believe in you.*_

I smile at my phone and take another deep breath. I almost text him back but I decide against it. It will be better to text him with good news after I tell my mother. It is that thought that gets me out of my car and up to the front door. As soon as the door opens, I am greeted by that ugly orange creature hissing at me like I don't go out of my way to feed it everyday. I hiss right back at him as I walk into the kitchen to find my mother and sister. Unfortunately, Prim went to her friend's house again to work on a project. I consider waiting for her to get back but I know that it will only get worse the longer I wait.

"Mom?"

She looks over her shoulder at me then back at the food she is preparing for herself on the counter.

"Hey," she says calmly. "How was school?"

"Good." I put my bag on the table and pull at the end of my braid nervously. "I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay." She glances at me again. "What is it?"

"Could you look at me?"

She stops for a moment before she finally turns to face me with a concerned look on her face. I look down as she takes a couple of steps toward me.

"Katniss, what's the matter?"

"Do you know the baker's son?" I say as my nerves start to take control again. "Peeta?"

"Yes." A good amount of the concern disappears from her face. "What about him?"

"Mom." My hands start shaking so I clasp them together. "The truth is, we've been seeing each other a lot." The room is completely quiet but I do not dare to look up. "I like him."

"Katniss." She turns away from me and holds her hands to her head like she has a headache.

"I love him, Mom."

"Stop," she snaps, turning around to face me again with fresh anger on her face. "How many times have I told you? Stay away from the Mellark's- They are _nothing _but trouble! So what do you do? You go and let them take advantage of you-"

"He's not taking advantage of me!" Tears of anger start to collect in my eyes. "He loves me!"

"That's what he says now!" she yells. "And then someone prettier and richer is gonna come along, and he'll be gone!" I stare at her in shock as she shakes her head at me. "Gone!"

"Mom-"

"How long has this been going on?" Her eyes are starting to look just as glassy as mine. "Well?"

"Long enough," I mutter.

She closes her eyes for a moment and opens them only to glare at me again.

"Long enough is right. It's over now." She storms past me and starts talking again before I can get a word in. "If I ever catch you with that boy-"

"Then what?" I yell, surprising her. She stops in the middle of the stairs and looks at me. "Is it really so hard for you to see me happy?"

"I don't want to see you get hurt," she answers firmly. "Take it from someone who knows. That family is nothing but trouble and their son is no different. Stay away from them."

I watch after her- finally letting my tears fall- as she walks into her bedroom and closes the door behind her.

***POV Switch***

With each step towards the bakery I get more and more nervous, but I know that I cannot back out. I promised Katniss that I would tell them today and there's no way I can take it back and upset her even more. Of course, I'm afraid that my mother might hurt me, but that doesn't mean I should be allowed to hurt Katniss by breaking my promise. I walk into the back room of the bakery where I find my parents preparing for the dinner rush when people decide to stop by and get bread and desserts on their way home from work. Luckily, there are no customers at the moment and I decide that this is probably the best chance I'll get for a while.

"Mom?" I say as they bring some trays together. "Dad? I need to tell you something."

"Peeta, can't you see we're busy?" She sighs. "Maybe you could come and help us instead of standing there like the worthless-"

"Mom, please. It's really important."

"Etta, we have some time," Mr. Mellark mumbles. "We can let him talk."

"How long will this take?" She finally turns around to look at me with those angry eyes that I know well.

"Not long at all."

"Fine." My father stops what he is doing and stands next to her, and I force myself to take a deep breath. "Out with it. Quickly."

"Okay. It's about Katniss Everdeen-"

"What did she do?" my mother snaps.

"No, Mom. She didn't do anything." The confused look on her face is a very nice change from the sour face that she usually wears. "I really like her, and-"

"Oh, I know what's going on here." She scoffs and points at my father. "Like father like son, eh?" He shakes his head and looks away. "Peeta, what have I always told you? Those Everdeen's. They're just like all the other poor girls in that Seam area. They trap you between their damn legs and only let you go after you give them all the money they want!"

"Mom-"

"Just ask your father!" she yells. "I've told you so many times, Peeta! Those girls are trash and that is all they will ever be."

"Katniss isn't-"

"How could you settle with a Seam slut when you have beautiful girls like Delly waiting for you?"

"I don't love Delly, Mom."

"And you don't love that Seam slut either." I clench my jaw to keep from yelling back at her. "You can't even figure out the difference between lust and love. Can you?"

"Etta, maybe-"

"No!" she snaps as she turns on my dad. "How dare you defend this after what you did?"

I shake my head in anger as my mother turns to yell at my father next. I walk into the main room and over to the front door before my mother finally notices that I have left.

"Peeta!" she yells. "Get back here! I am not done talking to you yet!"

I swallow dryly and slowly consider my options. I could leave and come back when my mother is even angrier or I could get this over with now. I decide on the latter as I reluctantly return to the back room. I can tell from the look on her face that this _talk _is not going to end well.

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Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	4. Chapter 4

Hellooo! x

So I know I took a little longer with this one. That's because I've been DORM SHOPPING! So excited! 3 Anyway so nobody gets freaked out or anything: Gale is sorta like a brother figure to Katniss in this story instead of a love interest :) Enjoy!

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As soon as I am able to see through my tears, I am on the road again. I can't wait for Prim to get home. I can't let her see me like this, so I decide that I will tell her as soon as I get back. To be honest, the only person I really want to see right now is Peeta, but I know that his mother would go berserk if I showed up at the bakery especially if he's telling them today. So I decide to go to the other person who will really be able to help me through this. It doesn't take long to get there. When I reach the small, dingy house at the end of the street, I park and turn off my car. I walk up the short dirt pathway and knock on the door. It opens a few seconds later, and Hazelle smiles at me.

"Katniss!" She steps out of the doorway to give me a hug. "How are you?" She pushes a piece of hair out of my face and frowns. "Your eyes look a little red. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," I lie. "I was just looking for Gale. Is he here?"

"You just missed him. He went down to the market to get some food for us. You could probably still catch him there!"

"Yeah." I sigh exhaustively. "I'll meet him there. Thanks, Hazelle."

"Not a problem, Katniss." She places a hand on my shoulder and smiles sadly. "I hope you feel better."

"Thank you," I say because arguing would take too long. "I'll see you later."

She nods and waves at me as I return to my car. I hear the clunky door close behind her right before I get into my car. I can't help but smile at how caring Hazelle is every time she sees me. Before Posy was born, Hazelle treated me like the daughter she never had. Even though she has Posy now she still treats me as such. She is probably more motherly toward me than my own mother.

As I pull into the town area, I spot Gale at one of the food carts and park my car nearby. I get out and walk toward him, but he doesn't seem to notice until I am about ten steps away from him. He looks up from the food and gives me a small smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"Nice to see you too." He rolls his eyes as I stop in front of him. "I really need to talk to you."

"You came all the way to the market to talk to me?" He hums inquisitively as he looks through a stack of green vegetables. "This must be pretty important."

"I mean it's not _really _important. I just don't know what to do."

He finally looks at me with a frown on his face, more concerned than I've seen him in a while.

"What is it?"

I look around to make sure nobody is listening. Of course, nobody is. Everybody is too busy looking through all the food choices, complaining about prices, or asking their children if they're _really _going to eat that if they buy it.

"Do you know the baker's son? Peeta?"

"Yeah." He nods thoughtfully. "He was in my gym class last year. Why? Did he do something to you? Tell me the truth, Katniss. You know I can take him down."

"No," I chuckle at the serious look on his face. "He didn't do anything. Actually, we've kinda been dating secretly. I mean, I guess you could call it _secretly _because- you know- nobody knew about it."

"Wait." He shakes his head and looks away. "Shit, Katniss. That's a lot to process. What are we talking here anyway? Months? Weeks?"

"Years..." He raises his arms dramatically and turns away before looking at me again. "Gale-"

"I can't believe this was going on for _years_ and you never even thought to tell me!"

"I did think to tell you! But I couldn't tell anyone until we were ready to tell our parents; I didn't want them to find out from someone else by accident."

"You really thought that I-"

"Gale, please!" I say as loud as I can without drawing attention. "My mother is already pissed off and she practically forbade me from seeing him ever again. I just need my friend right now. Please."

He stares at me for a moment and sighs.

"What did she say?"

"She pretty much reiterated how much she hates the Mellark's and how she wants me to stay away from them and their son." Her warning about Peeta leaving me returns to my mind. "The rest isn't really worth repeating."

"I know why she hates the parents." We move to the next cart and he looks through each item before picking one out. "Why does she hate the son?"

"Because he's their son." I roll my eyes. "She doesn't even know him. He's so much better than his parents. He's polite and generous, he practically gives out food if someone doesn't have money. He's always nice to everyone and..." I look up and see him smirking at the bag he is holding. "What?"

"You really like this guy, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." He shrugs and finally looks right at me. "I've never seen you like this. I've never seen you upset because you can't date a boy or rambling because your mom doesn't like him. I always thought you never grew out of that 'boys have cooties' phase, but it looks like you're all grown up now!"

"Thanks, Gale." I push his arm and he chuckles. "But I'm serious. She doesn't realize that he's different than them, and she won't even listen if I try to tell her. I don't know what to do."

"Are you gonna keep dating him?" he asks. "You know, secretly?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation. "But I hate that we have to do this."

"I can see why." He puts all of his food down on one of the counters. "Look. we'll figure something out."

"We?" I smile hesitantly. "You're gonna help me?"

"On one condition." I nod. "You have to tell him that if he breaks your heart, I'm gonna break his legs."

"I think I could do that myself." He chuckles. "But you can have the arms."

"Deal."

I smile as he holds out his arms and hugs me. He pats my back as I rest my head against my chest and sigh.

"Sometimes I feel like you're the brother I never had."

"The very same to you, Katniss."

MY eyes widen and I pull away from him.

"Dammit, Gale!" I smack his arm and he snickers at me.

"God, I was kidding!"

"Whatever," I mutter. "Listen. I should probably start heading home so I get there before Prim."

"Okay. Remember to call me or come over if you need anything, okay?"

I nod and say goodbye to him as I start walking back to my car. Of course, it makes me feel better that I have somebody to support me in this. But I still wish that my mother would understand why I like him so much. Things would be so much easier if she would support me. By the time I get home, my mother has left for the hospital to work the night shift. I breathe a sigh of relief because I don't think I'm quite ready to face her yet after our fight. Prim is sitting at the table though, so I walk into the kitchen and sit next to her.

"Hey, Little Duck." She smiles at me because her mouth is full. "When did you get home?"

"A few minutes ago."

I look down at the plate in front of her.

"Did Mom make that for you?"

"No." She shakes her head. "Mom was seemed pretty annoyed when I got home. She pretty much stayed in her room and then the only time she came out was to go to work. Did something happen?"

The longer I stay silent, the more she stares at me waiting for an answer. Finally, I sigh and tell her everything. I watch as her face slowly changes from confused to surprised to excited to conflicted. When I finish telling her everything, she gapes at me and looks at her food.

"Oh my god, Katniss." She looks at me and smiles again. "You have a boyfriend."

"Well-"

"You have a boyfriend!" she squeals. "That's so cute! I can't believe it! I always thought you _hated _guys! But you have a boyfriend!"

"Prim, calm down." I chuckle as she bounces up and down in her seat. "I have a boyfriend, but Mom isn't too happy about it."

"I can tell." She sighs and pokes at her food. "I don't get it. Peeta's always so nice. Remember that time when he gave me a free cookie?"

"Of course." I clasp my hands together and rest my chin on them. "But that's not enough to make Mom like him. The only way she would like him is if she found out he was actually adopted. As long as he's a Mellark, she'll hate him."

"That sucks." Prim shakes her head and I can't help but smile at her.

"It's okay. We'll figure it out. I'm just glad you like him." I reach out to ruffle her hair lightly. "So how was school?"

She smiles at me as she starts to tell me about her day. I nod and listen to her, and the entire time I think about how much I love talking to her.

The next day, I can tell that my mother is awake but she doesn't come out of her room until after we leave. So we leave the house without a word. I drop Prim off first before I drive myself to the high school. As I park my car and start walking into the school, I start to worry more and more. I didn't want to text Peeta yesterday because I wanted to talk about this with him in person, but now I just keep wondering how it went with his parents. That question is answered when I walk in and see him standing at his locker. My heart drops as I see the mark around his eye. I start running toward him, no longer caring who may be watching.

"Peeta!" He instinctively looks up but drops his gaze to his shoes as soon as he sees that it is me. "What happened to you?"

"Katniss, it's nothing." He fakes a smile but lets it go as I examine the darkness under his eye. "Really."

"That's not nothing." My voice shakes in anger and he seems to notice. "Did your mother do this?" He looks around to make sure nobody heard me. But everybody knows. "Because of me."

"No! Katniss, don't-"

"Peeta." My eyes are becoming blurry as they fill with tears of anger. "Don't lie to me."

"Alright." He sighs and looks down. "Yes. She did this after I told her about us. But I promise- it's nothing."

The bell rings, and throngs of student shuffle past us as we just stare at each other. The longer I stare at the mark, the more my eyes water. Finally, one tear pushes through. I duck my head to hide it, but he gently places his hand on my cheek and wipes it away anyway. I let out a gasp as more tears fall.

"Oh my god."

I look down in shame as he presses his forehead to mine.

"Katniss, don't cry." I look up at him only to see that his eyes are watering as well, but he fakes a smile as soon as I look at him. "It doesn't matter, okay? It doesn't matter what she does. I'll never stop loving you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I mutter.

He wraps his arms around me, and my arms circle around his shoulders. I rest my head in his neck. He rubs my back gently as I clutch onto his shirt. He holds on for about a minute but it seems like it was only seconds when he pulls away. He tells me that he doesn't want me to be late for class. I let him go even though I couldn't care less about being late for class anymore. Maybe if I start getting detentions, my mother will realize just how much her attitude is affecting me. Then again, she would probably end up blaming it on Peeta.

The bell rings about sixty seconds before I stroll into my class. I made sure that my face was dry, but there is no way of telling if my eyes are back to their normal color yet. Judging by the looks on the other students' faces, I would say that my eyes are still pretty red.

"You're late, Ms. Everdeen," my teacher says as if I didn't already know. "Do you have a pass?"

"No," I mutter.

"I don't think you've ever been late before. Have you?" I shake my head and she sighs. "I'll let it slide. Just this once. Don't let it happen again, understand?"

I nod lazily as I walk to my seat next to Madge. She turns to me- as the teacher continues to talk- and gives me a look to ask me what happened. I shake my head and look away. Minutes into the lecture, I rest my head on the desk again and close my eyes to think. My blood begins to boil every time I think about the mark on Peeta's face. Not only because that witch he calls his mother hurt him. But also because I am the one that caused it. I'm sure that his mother would have been much happier if he had brought home some pretty blonde girl with bags of money at hand. And even though I know it's wrong for them to treat him this way, I know that it's wrong for me to provoke them. My eyes close even tighter at the thought. I've always known that our relationship wasn't exactly perfect, but I never really took the time to think about how much it would affect Peeta until today.

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Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	5. Chapter 5

Hellooo! x

Thank you for all the faves/follows/reviews! I really appreciate you guys and your support! I wanted to let you guys know that even though I update fast now, I'm starting college in one month so I won't be able to update as fast as I'd like to. That's why I'm trying to get a lot of this story out now so you don't have to wait. I hope you guys understand because I honestly love you all. I would even find Peeta and have him read the story to you in a seductive voice if I could. But I can't. Because Katniss would be very jealous. Sorry. Enjoy!

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The day seems to go by in a blur. When I leave History, I barely even think to look at Madge or say goodbye. I spend my gym class walking around the track with a quiet girl named Annie. We are both pretty lost in our own thoughts the entire time. Then, I have math class by myself. I don't really mind because it gives me some time to get my mind off of these horrible things. I focus on the worksheet in front of me instead and don't let my mind wander until the bell rings. By the time I make it to the lunch room, I am so worn out that I feel like I could collapse on one of the tables at any moment.

"Hey," Madge says as I sit down next to her. "You okay?"

"Fine," I mutter.

I can tell that she is still staring at me as I pull a small box of food out of my bag and put it on the table.

"Katniss, will you please just tell me what's going on?"

I look up at her to see that she is staring back at me with a firm look on her face. I sigh and look away from her. My eyes find his table a few rows away from ours to see that he was staring at me. He looks away as one of his friends starts talking to him.

"I don't know what to do," I say honestly without looking away from him.

"About what?" she asks as she picks at her food.

"Peeta." I finally look at her and sigh. "His parents hate me, and I know they're taking it out on him. I don't want him to get hurt, but I don't want to end this either."

It shocks me how honest I am being and how clearly I am speaking. It's almost as if I'm talking to myself and my friend is not sitting nearby and listening.

"Have you ever felt like you were stuck?" I ask rhetorically. "Like you're going to lose no matter what you do? And you start to wonder why you put yourself in such a fucked up situation to begin with."

"Why did you?" She asks quietly as if she's afraid that I'll snap.

"Because he liked me, and I liked him," I answer without hesitation as I stare at the wall. "I was twelve when we became friends. He told me that he liked me when I was thirteen, so we decided to go for it. I was fourteen the first time he kissed me, and I really think that changed everything. He always told me that as soon as we were eighteen, we could be together and go anywhere we wanted without our parents' permission. I wish I could go back and tell myself that it's not that easy. It never was."

"Wow," Madge whispers to herself.

I look at her, feeling like I've broken out of a trance. She stares at me with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Sorry." She shrugs. "I've never heard you talk like this before. He really brings out the best in you, eh?"

"Usually." I groan and rest my head in my hands. "That's why this is so difficult."

"I don't think it's difficult at all." She looks me in the eye and gives me a reassuring smile. "If you really like him, then it doesn't matter what other people think. The relationship will last as long as you both want and care about it."

"And I've never heard _you _talk like this either."

She giggles. "Well. Maybe there's just a lot you don't know about me!"

"I doubt that." For the first time all day, I smile at her and roll my eyes. "But I guess you are right."

She smiles and starts picking at her food again, but she doesn't say anything else on the matter. For the rest of the time we just keep eating and talking every now and then about anything else. When lunch ends, she smiles at me before walking to her class in the other direction. As I do everyday, I spend the rest of my classes waiting for English so that I can see Peeta again, even if I can't actually talk to him. When it comes time for English, I sit down behind Madge and she turns around to face me.

"Feeling a little better?" she asks seriously.

"Yeah. I think so." I give her the best smile I can manage.

"You _look _better." She smiles and nudges my hand with her elbow. "You got this, Katniss. And I'll help you whenever you need it."

"Thanks." Of course, I'm grateful for Madge being such a great friend, but I really want to change the subject and stop thinking about this. "So what did you think of the homework?"

"Oh my god!" She rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Total bullshit!"

I snort and listen to her as she starts ranting about the awful homework that apparently took her hours. Without even looking, I can tell that Peeta has walked in and that he is looking at me, but I don't look at him until the bell rings and our teacher tells us that it's time to start. Madge makes one last face at me before turning around to face the front of the room. As the teacher talks, I look to my right and our eyes lock with each other. He smiles a little, but I can't smile back. When he finally realizes this, he looks back down at his paper and I look at the window.

"Katniss."

I look up and see the teacher staring at me with the book _Romeo & Juliet _in her hand.

"Yes Ma'am?" I mutter.

"I assume that you completed the homework assignment of reading the next section of the play?" I nod tiredly. "Good. You stated earlier that you thought it was- in fact- wise for the lovers to meet secretly. However, what occurred in the last section that you read?"

"They died," I say bluntly, making a couple of the students giggle.

"Yes." She sighs and rolls her eyes. "They _died_. Ms. Everdeen, after reading this section, do you still stand by your opinion that it was wise for these lovers to meet against their parents' wishes?"

She stares at me with a smug expression because she knows that I'm about to change my mind. And honestly, I can't give her the satisfaction.

"Yes, I do."

A couple of students giggle again as she sighs tiredly.

"Alright, Katniss. _Why _was it wise?"

I look at him across the room, and I can tell that some people follow my gaze as his ears turn a light shade of pink. Because of what happened in lunch yesterday, everybody is looking either at me or Peeta curiously. Even Madge has turned around to see what is going on. It takes me a moment to find my words. When I do, I know how happy my response will make him. But I'm still debating if it is the right thing to say when the words come out of my mouth.

"What happened to them was bad. But it's not completely their fault. If their parents had listened and actually tried to tolerate each other, their kids wouldn't have felt like they had to go to such drastic measures. I think this story just goes to show how much hatred can really affect people."

I look up at my teacher to show her that I am done, and she hums quietly.

"Well that barely answered my question." I roll my eyes. "But good try, Ms. Everdeen. Now-"

"I have something to say."

My head whips to the side. Peeta's hand is in the air, and he is staring straight at the teacher.

"Yes, Peeta?" I can understand why she is confused. Peeta barely ever talks in this class.

"I agree with Katniss." And of course, more than a couple of eyes begin to watch me again. "I don't think this story was meant to show how impulsive or naive the youth can be. I think it was meant to show much of an impact the conflicts between adults can have on their children. And how the adults are completely oblivious to it until it's too late. If the families had forgiven each other, they wouldn't have lost their children in the first place. But they did, and I think that taught them a really valuable lesson."

"I-" She scoffs- still surprised that Peeta finally gave her a well thought out answer for the first time this year. "I think you're all missing the point!"

She starts to lecture us about the play, but I think that we've all stopped paying attention by this point. Madge discreetly passes me a note while the teacher isn't looking. It reads _Umm.. What just happened? _I bite my lip so that I don't laugh and lean forward until I'm right next to her head.

"No idea," I whisper.

For the rest of the class, we all sit there quietly as she passionately babbles on about the entire play from start to the section that we've read up to. The bell couldn't ring soon enough. I stand up immediately and pick up my bag as I wait for Madge. I look at him, and he looks at me longer than he usually does, but I know what that means. I look around to make sure nobody is watching before holding up seven fingers, and he nods and starts heading for the door. Madge and I leave the room shortly after him, and she tells me that she is going to get a ride from Gale again. She hugs me goodbye before hurrying to find his car, and I mentally remind myself to ask Gale what is going on between them.

When I get home, my mother barely talks to me again, but I don't exactly feel like talking to her either. And I know that Prim is at her friend's house for that project. She asked to sleep over so that they can completely finish the project. But Rue has slept over here before. I doubt that they'll get anything done considering they were giggling and whispering until 2 AM the last time they were supposed to "finish a project". I sit down at the table and start working on my homework since I have nothing else to do until seven. The thought of it makes me nervous. In just a few hours, Peeta will be here, and I have no idea what to say to him anymore. I don't know how I should feel about this. I don't know if I'm stupid for even letting this happen. But I know that he'll tell me I'm not. He'll tell me that we're right and he'll kiss me, and I'll be right back where I started. In a fool's paradise.

As soon as I finish my homework, I look at the clock and see that it is only four. I groan as I wish that time would move faster. But since it can't, I go upstairs and lay down in my bed to close my eyes and fall asleep. By the time I wake up, the house is quiet and I know that my mother has left for work. I look up at the clock and realize that it is almost seven o clock. I push myself out of bed and run my fingers through my hair as I walk downstairs. I hear a knock at the door, and I take a deep breath nervously. I try to relax as I open the door for him.

"Hey," he says. "Can I come in?"

I nod wordlessly and hold open the door so he can walk past me. After I close the door behind me, I turn around to face him. My eyes find the mark on his face first before they focus on his eyes. Sometimes I think that he's staring into me and he sees every thought that crosses my mind.

"Hey," I finally say. "Did you want to talk?"

"Yeah." He takes my hand and leads me to the sofa where we both sit down. "I'm a little worried actually."

"About what?"

"About you." He looks at me, and I look down as he squeezes my hand. "Katniss, I know that you're upset and scared. And I wanted to make sure..." He sighs, and I look up to see that his eyes are glassy again. "If you're having second thoughts about this- _us- _you need to tell me. I understand, and I don't want to keep you here if it's not where you want to be. But you have to tell me."

This time, he is the one that can't meet my eyes. He stares down at the ground, and I frown as something inside me starts to hurt.

"Peeta, what we're doing- it's just downright stupid, and I know it's wrong." He closes his eyes and sighs. "But I can't let you go." His eyes pop open, and he finally looks at me. "I've never been this happy with anyone outside my family before. I know I'm selfish, but I'm not willing to give that up. I guess I love you too much."

I sigh and turn to look at him. Instead I am greeted by his lips against mine. He runs his hand over my thigh and kisses my cheek.

"Maybe I'm selfish too," he whispers as he nips at my earlobe. I hold onto his shoulders and explore his muscles with my fingers. He pulls away and looks up at me with such a new softness in his eyes. "I love you too much to let you go."

"Then don't." He smiles at me as he brings his lips back to mine. "God, I knew this would happen."

"What?"

"Every time I'm worried about something, you make it seem like it's no big deal." I smirk as his smile widens. "And then you try to fucking seduce me."

"Is it working?"

He ducks his head to suck on my neck and I gasp at the feeling.

"I guess it is." He chuckles and wraps his arms around my waist.

"I just want you to relax," he says against my neck. "I want to make you forget."

"Please."

I hum quietly as he plants kisses all the way down my neck and to my collarbone. I tug lightly on his hair to bring him back up to me. His lips feel so perfect against mine that I almost start to feel dizzy as he kisses me. Our bodies are so close that our chests are pressed up against each other, and I realize that I love this closeness and affection more than I thought I did. I shudder as his hands roam my body. He always knows exactly how to touch me to make me melt in his arms. I tilt my head back when he returns his lips to my neck, and he uses the opportunity to take off my shirt.

Soon it all becomes a blur. It's unclear who is moaning or sighing or touching or kissing. Our clothes end up on the floor and we are only covered by the throw blanket on the couch. His lips and hands touch me everywhere, and I whimper and sigh as my hands roam over his body. Eventually he ends up on top of me, and he looks down at me.

"Ready?" he whispers.

"Yes." I sigh. "Please make love to me."

We both stare at each other and the dark color of his eyes stirs something inside me. I watch his face as he slowly pushes into me and groans. I clutch onto his shoulders and moan. I can tell that he is watching my face every second. Strangely, the thought turns me on more. He starts to move faster, and I look up at him to watch how tight the muscles in his arms are as he pushes himself into me over and over again. I watch his furrowed eyebrow and dark eyes and his panting mouth and swollen lips. I feel hotter every second as sweat starts to form on both of our bodies. Finally- when it becomes too much for me- my inner walls tighten and I moan his name. He groans as I tighten around him. My name comes from his lips in the most beautiful way as he reaches his peak and releases inside of me. He collapses on top of me, and we both lie there trying to catch our breath. After a minute or two passes, he moves over to lie next to me and I rest my head against his chest.

"I love you," he says as he plants a kiss on the top of my head. "I want you to know something."

"What?" I ask quietly.

He sighs and draws a pattern on my forearm with his finger.

"I think we're going to be okay." My eyes open as I realize what he is talking about. "_Amor omnia vincit_."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask as I look up at him.

"It means _love conquers all_." He smiles at me and pushes my hair out of my face. "If you hadn't dropped your Latin class for music, you would have known that!"

"Whatever." He chuckles. "I hope you're right."

"Katniss, I know I'm right." He smiles at me and kisses my forehead. "Everything's gonna be okay."

As we lay there, I realize that I was right. Every time I doubt myself or feel any kind of fear, he can make me forget it all so easily. But in times like this- as he kisses me and holds me against him- I think that that may not be such a bad thing.

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	6. Chapter 6

Hellooo! x

Sorry guys, but I was having a little bit of the writer's block for this one. I promise it will pick up again in the next chapter though! Enjoy!

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"You're _what_?"

"Late, Madge," I hiss into my phone. "I'm fucking late!"

"Oh my god... How? I mean when?" she stutters.

"Last week." I run my hand through my hair. "Dammit. I should have known this was gonna happen! What the hell am I gonna tell Peeta?"

"Katniss, calm down! You don't even know for sure if you're-"

"Don't you dare say it!"

"I won't!" She sighs. "Look. I'll... I don't know. I'll get you a test tomorrow, and we'll see what's going on. Until then- don't panic. Okay?"

"No promises," I mutter. "Seriously, Madge. What the hell am I supposed to tell him?"

"You don't have to tell him anything yet. What if this whole thing is a mistake? There's no reason to scare him if you're not actually, _you know_."

"I guess." I plop down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. "Madge, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well you certainly weren't thinking _Trojan."_

_"_Madge, I can't believe you're trying to be funny right now."

"I'm sorry!" She giggles for a second before stopping herself. "It slipped. I have to go, but I promise I'll help you out tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay." I sigh. "I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later. And please don't panic. Seriously, Katniss."

I snort and hang up the phone. I drop it on the bed next to me and look up at the ceiling directly above me. My eyes tear up as I start to think. What if I really am pregnant? There's no way in hell I could handle being a mother. But Peeta would be so upset if I tried to give it away to someone else. He might even be upset to find out that I'm pregnant at all. What will my mother do? She'll know that the baby is Peeta's. She'll kick me out, and there's no way Peeta's parents would take us in. Where could we possibly go? What would we do? Peeta will lose his job at the bakery, and nobody will hire a pregnant teenager. The worst part is that it's all my fault. I didn't even think about any other contraception. I was stupid enough to think that the pill would be enough. I should have known that with my luck, I would be the one to get pregnant even when I'm on the pill.

I squeeze my eyes shut and sigh as I remind myself that I can't panic until I know for sure.

"Katniss?"

When I look up, Prim is standing in the doorway. She stares at me as she waits for me to let her in.

"Hey, Prim." I push myself up and lay back on my elbows. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you're okay." She pulls herself onto my bed and kneels in front of me. "You seem a little flustered."

"Yeah. I'm fine." I fake a smile and sit up all the way. "You don't need to worry about me, Little Duck."

"Okay." She smiles. "And Mom also wanted me to tell you that Uncle Haymitch is coming over today."

"With-"

"Aunt Effie." She grins and nods. "Yeah!"

"God!" I yell as I fall back onto my pillow and cover my face with my arms. "Not her! She's the _worst_!"

"Katniss, come on! She's not that bad." She nudges my leg to get my attention. "She's funny!"

"You always say that," I mutter. "And then she starts asking me when I'm going to learn how to pluck my eyebrows or wear heels or put on makeup or be a girl-"

"Katniss, she does not ask you when you're gonna be a girl!"

"She might as well!" I groan. "Fine. I'll be downstairs in a minute. Okay?"

She nods and slides off of my bed. I watch as she walks out of my room and bounds down the stairs. I push myself onto my feet and rub my eyes. I used to love seeing Uncle Haymitch. He would come to spend some time with my dad, and they would always end their visit by laughing about something that their parents used to do or say to them. Then, there would be a short nostalgic pause before they said goodbye to each other. He always brought something for Prim and me like candy or toys. Of course it was always something cheap and questionable, but it was a gift nonetheless. He liked to talk to me, but we usually ended up getting on each other's nerves by the end of the visit. For some reason, I was still excited to see him every time.

Ever since his wife Maysilee died, he hasn't been the same. And when my father- his only brother- died shortly after, he started calling and visiting less and less. When we did see him, he was always intoxicated. His house reeked all the time, and I never even ventured to wonder what would cause such smells. It's unclear to me how he ended up meeting and marrying aunt Effie years later. For about four years, I didn't see much of him or hear from him, so there are about a million possibilities of what happened, but I'm okay with never knowing for sure.

I hear a knock at the front door and realize that that is probably them. I take a deep breath and shove my phone in my pocket before heading downstairs. When I get there, I see that Prim has run to answer the door. My mother looks up at me for only a second before returning her eyes to the front door. I roll my eyes and walk past her to get to Prim.

"Aunt Effie!" She starts hopping up and down as that hideous creature that I call my aunt glides into the room. Her heels look like the fresh pencils that I buy at the beginning of the school year. "I've missed you _so_ much!

"Oh Primrose!" She leans down as much as she can to hug Prim. "And Katniss!" She rushes toward me with her arms out, and I grimace at her. "Lovely to see you as always!"

"Yeah." I pat her back as she wraps her arms around my shoulders. "Same to you."

"I see you're starting to fill out a little more." She grabs my shoulders and scans my body. "Good! That's good! Now all you need is a brand new wardrobe. How does that sound?"

"Oh, that's great."

I fake a smile as she grins and runs to my mother to say hello to her next. Haymitch trudges in after her with their bags. He grumbles a hello to Prim as she runs to greet him and just nods at me. In a matter of seconds, he has dropped their bag and plopped down on the sofa while aunt Effie has followed my mother into the kitchen to tell her what she has been doing- since she last talked to us- in great detail. Prim follows them, so I decide to sit down with Haymitch in the living room. He usually doesn't talk much anyway, and anything is better than sitting in there with Effie. I hug my knees to my chest as he lies back ungracefully and turns on the television across the room.

"Still got this little one, eh?" he mumbles under his breath. "It's old as hell. Malcolm bought this one when you were…" He sighs and makes a groaning noise. "I'd say you were-"

"Six." I hug my knees tighter at the thought of my father. "I remember because the one we had blew out or something like that, and it scared me."

He makes a short chuckling noise but his face never really changes. He flips through all the channels with his mouth hanging open a little bit, and I wonder if he's drunk right now.

"Your mom told me you got some guy now."

"My mom told you that?" I look at him and he shrugs.

"She ought to know by now that anything she tells Effie will eventually get to me." He stops flipping through the channels to look at the score of a basketball game. "I hear this guy's not too good or something like that."

"No!" I remind myself to keep my voice down even though I am becoming angry. "He's really a great guy. My mom just doesn't like him because of his parents."

"How come?" he mutters.

"Haymitch, you can't just disappear for years and then expect me to explain everything you missed."

"That's _uncle _Haymitch. Show some respect. All that money I spent on that stupid candy for you." I roll my eyes. "Anyway you're talking about the Mellark's aren't you?"

"Yeah." I look at him but he stares at the television. "How did you know?"

"Your mother doesn't hate many people, and she always had a problem with them." He sighs. "Your dad did too, but only because she did."

"What did they do to her?"

Finally, he looks at me. And I can definitely tell now that he is sober. He presses his lips together as he thinks, and I just watch him. He starts to say something to answer me, but he is interrupted.

"Haymitch!" Aunt Effie toddles over to us and stands in front of the television. "You lazy lump! Could you at least put our bags away _please_?"

"Right away, sunshine," he mutters sarcastically as he pushes himself off of the couch slowly.

"Thank you." Her lips are in a tight straight line until he leaves the room. She looks back at me and forces her smile again. "Katniss! How is my lovely niece?"

"Just dandy, Effie." I fake a smile as hers falters.

"_Aunt _Effie." She clears her throat and lets out a short laugh. "I see that you're still working on the natural look. But remember that a little bit of makeup goes a long way. Yes? Maybe I can help you with that a little later."

"Oh that sounds..." She starts to toddle out of the room, grinning the entire time. "Awful."

I sigh and shake my head. Haymitch was seconds away from telling me what happened between my parents and the Mellark's. Seconds. If only Effie hadn't walked in. I would finally have my answer. Maybe I can find another time to ask him about it. I just have to hope that I get to him before he starts drinking again.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see that Peeta has texted me.

It reads: _Hey beautiful! What kind of dessert did you want for your birthday?  
_

I sigh as I stare at it, trying to come up with a response. It's hard to figure out if I'm happy because he's always so sweet and caring or upset because I have no idea what to say to him. Madge told me not to tell him about my being late, but it feels so strange to keep a secret from him. I wonder if he might not even want to see me for my birthday next week if he finds out that I'm pregnant. I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut as I try to remind myself that nothing is certain yet. I drop my phone on the coffee table and settle on not responding at all, as I walk into the kitchen to have dinner with my family. By the time I realize what a mistake I've made in leaving my phone out of my sight, it's too late. I rush away from Prim while she is in the middle of a sentence. When I reach the living room, I find my mother standing there with a distressed look on her face.

And my phone in her hand.

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	7. Chapter 7

Hellooo! x

I didn't really like the last chapter too much, so I wrote this. Consider it a part 2! :D Enjoy!

* * *

Throughout dinner, my mother refuses to look at me. Prim notices, but she tries not to say anything as Effie continues to babble on about everything and nothing. Haymitch sits at the end of the table shoveling his food down and only stopping for a few seconds to slurp his wine. And then it's right back to the food. Usually I eat like Haymitch- my mother even blamed him for teaching me to eat that way when I was younger- but today I feel like I can't eat at all. Between the stress of my secret and my mother taking my phone away so that she can look through it, my appetite does not even dare to come anywhere close to me.

"Delicious, Genny!" She daintily pats her face with a napkin as my mother winces at the nickname. "Simply delicious! You _must _give me the recipe!"

For the first time since I came downstairs, I let out a snort; I can't even remember the last time Effie cooked for herself without it turning out to be a disaster. She doesn't even notice as she continues to talk, but my mother does. She stares at me with such intensity that I have no choice but to return my eyes to my plate and keep them there. Dinner finally ends when uncle Haymitch finishes his food and wine and falls asleep in his chair. Effie giggles and makes a joke about it, but it's obvious that she is incredibly annoyed with him.

"Katniss." I look up at my mother while Effie tries to wake Haymitch. "Could you help me with the dishes?"

I nod, knowing that I would be plain stupid to say no. Prim watches me as I pick up a couple plates and take a deep breath before joining my mother in the kitchen. When I walk in, the dishes are in the sink and my phone is in her hand again. I wordlessly place the dishes in the sink along with the rest and stare at the floor in the middle of the kitchen. I don't even need to look up to know that she is looking through my texts.

"Katniss, I don't even know where to begin." Her voice shakes with anger, but I still say nothing. "Were you two planning on meeting for your birthday?"

I look up to meet her eyes, but I give no response. She shakes her head and looks at my phone again. She scrolls down to see more, and I brace myself. I know it gets worse. The day after Peeta came over to talk to me- the day after we made love- I remember texting him about how I already missed him. Except it wasn't just him. I may have mentioned how much I missed his _body_ and his kisses. It wasn't anything serious. We meant it in more of a flirty way, but I know that she will not take it that way. When she sighs and closes her eyes, I can tell that she has found these texts.

"I already want you _again_?"

When she looks at me, it seems like she is close to tears, but I look down too fast to know for sure. She lets out a humorless laugh and goes to sit down at the kitchen table. I watch as she rests her head in her hand and uses her free hand to hold onto my phone. I walk slowly and cautiously- the way someone would approach an animal that could attack at any moment- and sit down next to her at the table.

"We were just-"

"Have you had..." She stops as she looks at me, like she doesn't want to say it. "You have. Haven't you?"

I consider lying, but I can't. I'm a terrible liar, and lying is what caused all this trouble in the first place. When I meet her eyes again to answer her, I can see by the look on her face that my silence was enough of an answer for her. She closes her eyes and covers them with her hand as she takes a deep breath.

"Mom, Peeta isn't a bad guy like you think he is." It's a lot easier to talk when she isn't staring at me. "He's a great guy, and he-"

"You shouldn't be having sex with _any_ boy," she snaps as she takes her hand away from her eyes. "You're only 16, Katniss! What if you get pregnant?"

"Then I'll figure it out," I snap back, trying to keep my mind off the fact that I may in fact be pregnant. "But we're not talking about pregnancies. You and I both know that. You _hate _the idea that I love someone with the last name Mellark, and you hate that he loves me. You hate that he's such a great guy because if he was bad, at least you would have a good reason to hate him!"

She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. We both stare at each other quietly for such a long time that I lose count of the seconds. A tear comes from her eye, but she turns away so that I won't see it.

"Why him?" she mutters to the table. "You never had any interest in boys. And now all of a sudden, you decide that you want _him _of all people."

"You know, you're right," I snap. "Maybe I should have chosen a guy that likes to beat his girlfriend senseless-"

"Katniss, that's not what I meant, and you know it."

"It's exactly what you meant." She rolls her eyes and sighs. "You have no reason to hate him. Give me one. Besides his last name. Give me _one _reason. Please, just one."

"Because I said so." She looks at me sharply. "I am your mother. I have reasons that you couldn't even think of. If I tell you this guy is wrong for you, it's because I know that you're going to hurt." Effie calls for my mother from the kitchen, and she stands up and takes a deep breath. "And that's that."

"You won't even-"

"We're done, Katniss."

I watch as she starts walking toward the door. Finally, I decide to say what I've wanted to say to her for such a long time but never had the courage.

"What would Dad say if he heard you talking like this?"

She freezes in the doorway and clenches her jaw. My eyes tear up as she just stands there, staring at the air in front of her for what seems like forever.

"We'll never know," she mumbles. "Will we?"

I finally let a couple of tears fall after she leaves the room. I rub them off of my face and shudder, wishing that I was smart enough to keep my phone with me. At least then I could have avoided this. My relationship with my mother would not have gone from bad to worse. The rest of the night, I sit quietly as Effie continues to talk to my mother. Haymitch is still asleep on the couch, and Prim is still staring at me, but I refuse to look at anyone. Even when they decide that they will go to bed, I only open my mouth to say goodnight. Because Effie hates sleeping on the couch, Haymitch has taken over the living room, Prim and I must share my room, and Effie will sleep in Prim's room. As soon as everyone has gone off to their room, I tell Prim that I need to go downstairs for only a few minutes. When I get there, I find that Haymitch is half awake and watching television again. He doesn't even look at me as I sit down across from him.

"What're you doing up?" he mumbles.

"I wanted to finish our conversation from earlier." I stare at him, but he still doesn't look away from the screen. "I really want to know."

"Sweetheart, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The Mellark's," I mutter, trying not to get frustrated. "Why does my mother hate them?"

When he finishes flipping through the channels, he thoughtfully looks at me for a few seconds. He shifts his position so that he can look at me without bending his neck too much. Then he glances through the doorway to make sure nobody is listening.

"Look. I don't know if your mom wants me repeating this story to you," he grumbles. "But I doubt she'll ever tell you, and you ought to know."

I sit quietly as he sighs and starts telling the story.

It begins with my mother and Solomon, Mr. Mellark. He tells me that Solomon fell in love my mother, and they started dating in high school. They were so happy together, and my mother thought that he was a great man. But then- he tells me- there was a huge misunderstanding. Solomon's parents hated my mother, and they demanded that he date someone better. Of course by better, they meant richer. They demanded that he date an old family friend's daughter. Her name was Etta, and she began to flirt with Solomon as soon as her parents mentioned him. One day, my mother saw them together and thought that he was cheating on her. She was so angry that when he came to talk to her to ask her what she was upset about, she only told him that it was over. She told him that she never wanted to talk to him again while she was in a fit of anger. Solomon was heartbroken- especially because he had no idea what he'd done- but he caved. He knew that my mother was not going to take him back, so he decided to date Etta to appease his parents.

Then- he continues- after my father died, my mother went to the bakery. She found Solomon there, and he started talking to her. He offered his condolences and tried to cheer her up the best he could. And then, he did something that he had surely wanted to do for quite some time. He tried to kiss her. And that is when Etta walked in. Given their past, she didn't quite believe that they were just catching up. She pushed him away from my mother and chased her out of the bakery. Needless to say, they haven't been on good terms since. Any of them.

"That's it?" I scoff. "All of this. It's all because of a guy?"

He looks at the ceiling for a moment and hums.

"You could say that," he mutters. "But it's bigger than that to your mother. She thinks the son is the same way. You know, that he'll date you until he moves on to some richer girl, and then you'll be all heartbroken like she was. Plus she hates that wife of his. I mean everyone does."

"Still!" I look at him, but he is focused on the television again. "Why is she dramatic if that's all that happened?"

"If it happened to you, would it be no big deal?"

I don't answer, but I realize that he is right. I try to imagine what it would feel like if I thought that Peeta was suddenly leaving me for some pretty, rich girl. How would I feel if the man that I love more than anything abandoned me that way? I guess it would be somewhat traumatizing. Especially for my mother: a woman who feels intensely devastated at any loss. The woman who shut down completely after my father died. And now I wonder: was he even the man that she really loved? Or was she just devastated at the thought of being alone?

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	8. Chapter 8

Hellooo! x

Okay. All I'm gonna say is: I think you guys will like this chapter! :3 Enjoy!

* * *

The next morning, I get to school early so that I can be gone before my mother wakes up and so I can get there to relax for just a minute before Madge finds me. There are only a few people sitting in front of the trees in the courtyard. Some of them are doing homework, a few are talking to their friends, and the rest are sitting with their headphones on. When I walk inside, I see that the hallway is pretty much half full too. I open my locker and put my bag into it so that I won't have to hold onto it. My hands clutch the cold metal door as I close my eyes and take a deep breath to prepare myself for the day ahead of me. My eyes pop open and I gasp as I feel two strong arms snake around my waist from behind. I relax into his chest as soon as I realize that it is him, but it's obvious that I'm still more tense than usual.

"Hey gorgeous! Did I scare you?" I shake my head, and he chuckles and kisses the side of my head through my hair. "Did you get my text?"

"Yeah," I mutter, running my fingers over his arms.

"Well, what do you think?"

I turn myself around in his arms and he pulls me closer to him as I rest my hands against his chest. I can already tell without looking right at him that he is concerned by my seriousness.

"I think maybe we should reschedule?" I say to his chest.

When I finally look up, his face reads nothing but confusion and worry. He stares at me for a moment before responding.

"Katniss, what's going on?"

I wish I could tell you, I think. But there's so much. I don't even know where to start.

"There's just a lot going on right now." I look down, but he uses his thumb to lift my chin back up. "Peeta… My mom looked through my phone last night. And all of our texts."

"Oh." His eyebrows raise then furrow, and he looks like he is deep in thought for a moment. "So she saw the one where you said…" I nod. "And when I said-"

"Everything," I say quietly. "She wouldn't even talk to me except arguing. And she's definitely not going to let me see you for my birthday. She'll probably lock me in the house or something."

"We'll figure something out, Katniss," he says as he always does. "I swear, I'll get you your pastries one way or another."

He grins at me, and I try my hardest to fake a smile for him. But it's obviously not convincing enough for him.

"Hey." He tries to catch my eyes, but I feel like I can't even look at him. "Is there something else bothering you?"

"No," I lie as I shake my head at him.

"Haven't I told you that you're a really terrible liar?" He quirks his eyebrow and brings his forehead to mine. "Come on. Tell me."

I blink back a couple of tears that have managed to form as I continue to avoid his eyes. Of course that is even more difficult now considering his eyes are just inches from mine, if not less. I can feel him staring at me, and it only makes it more difficult to speak.

"Please promise me you won't leave when I tell you."

"Katniss." He covers one of my hands that is still resting on his chest with his own. "Always."

"Peeta." I know that I can't keep a secret from him, but I shudder as the reality of what I'm about to do really sets in. "I'm late."

"Late?" He furrows his eyebrows and looks away for a second. "What do you mean?"

"That means that I missed a period," I say hesitantly.

"And that means…" He speaks carefully like he is afraid of saying the wrong thing. "You might be pregnant?"

I let my silence answer him. When I look up at him, he is gaping at me. It seems like he's not sure how to feel or react. I know that I need to give him a moment for this to soak in, but my nerves get the best of me.

"Please say something." He looks at me with confusion still on his face. "Anything?"

"Kat, I'm sorry. I can't believe this. Are you sure?"

"Well no." I sigh. "I'm going to take a test to find out today for sure."

"I see." He squeezes my hand and looks in my eyes purposefully. "I know you don't want to be pregnant yet. But if you are, I promise I'll be here for you every step of the way. I swear we'll think of _something_. No matter what happens or what the test comes back with. I'll be here, Katniss."

I nod and blink back my tears again as I rest my head on his chest. He lets go of my hand and wraps his arms around me tightly. His fingers comb through my hair and caress the back of my head. After a moment passes I can tell that more students are starting to arrive at the school, and the hallway is louder. I pull away from him and look at him for only a second before I realize that he is not the only one looking at me. I look around to see that a good amount of students are staring at us and whispering to each other. One girl catches my attention: her hair and eyes are the same colors as Peeta's, and she has a very solemn look on her face as she stares at me. When I look back at her, she looks down and walks away. Peeta follows my gaze and turns to look over his shoulder.

"That's just my friend, Delly," he tells me. "She's dealing with some family stuff too, but she's okay."

"Okay," I mutter as I return my attention to him. "But other people are looking too."

"I know." He sighs. "Look. I should get going anyway. I'll talk to you later. Okay?"

I nod and he kisses me softly before letting go and returning to his friends across the hallway. I watch as they wolf-whistle and playfully punch and shove Peeta as he walks into their group. A small smile is on my face before I know it as I watch him blush and smile at the ground while they tease him. The only one who seems to notice me staring is his friend Finnick. He grins at me and winks, and I roll my eyes and look back at my locker. I only have about five seconds to myself before someone taps on my shoulder. When I look to my left, I see Madge holding up a brown paper bag for me.

"Thank you." I snatch it out of her hand and hide it in my locker. "Seriously. I can't even thank you enough."

"It's fine." She gives me a small smile. "I'm just glad I could help. How have you been feeling?"

"Awful." I groan. "I'll tell you everything later though. When do you wanna do this?"

"After school at my house? My dad is leaving for a meeting. He won't be back until eleven or midnight."

"I don't know if my mom will even let me leave the house."

"That bad?" She makes a sympathetic face. "Did something happen?"

"Unfortunately yes." I roll my eyes. "But we can talk about that later. Look. Can you come over around six? My mom will be at work, and she only told my aunt and uncle not to let in boys. They won't care if you come over."

"Sounds good to me." I take a deep breath as I collect everything that I need for my classes. "Are you nervous?"

"I don't think _nervous _is a good enough word to describe how I feel." She nods sympathetically. "If I am pregnant, I'm as good as homeless."

"Not necessarily." I look at her and she shrugs. "Maybe you could live with us."

"You're not serious." She raises her eyebrow, and I chuckle. "What about Peeta?"

"He can too!" It takes a few seconds to realize that she is serious. "Our house is huge. We have two guest rooms. My dad is always out on business, and my mother is usually in her room or in a hospital with her headaches. As long as you guys are quiet, I could probably find a way to sneak you in."

"I guess." I smile mostly because of how sweet she is being- and has been- to me. "Thanks, Madge."

"Anytime." She pats my shoulder. "We should probably get to class."

I nod and start walking down the hall with her. The bell rings as I walk past Peeta and his friends. We make eye contact, and he smiles at me. I try to return it, but I look down instead when all of his friends look at me as well.

As I sit in my room at around five thirty that evening, I get more and more nervous. My back is up against the headboard of my bed as I stare at the drawer in my desk where I hid the pregnancy test. I cross my arms over my chest and cross my ankles as my eyes tear up. My nerves are constantly getting the best of me no matter how hard I try to stop myself. I wish I had told Madge to come right after school. I could have just lied to my mother when she asked why. I've told her a good amount of lies already.

"Katniss?" Speak of the devil. My mother pushes open my door just enough so that she can walk in. "Can I come in?"

"Well if I said no, you would still come in anyway. Wouldn't you?"

"Katniss, please don't be like that." She sighs as she takes a few more steps. "I'm not doing this to hurt you-"

"I know that's not your intention, but you are." I pick up my independent reading novel and look down at it. "I thought you should know that."

"Why can't we do this?" I try to ignore her, but she takes the book out of my hands. "Why can't we talk about this?"

"I could ask you the same question," I snap.

Before she has chance to respond, I hear a crash downstairs which probably means that Haymitch dropped his wine glass. It is immediately followed by Effie yelling: "Genny, where do you keep your broom?" She closes her eyes and sighs before looking at me again.

"This conversation isn't over."

"Never really started," I mutter. "Did it?"

She pretends that she didn't hear me as she walks out the door and goes downstairs to clean up the mess. I lay down on my bed and roll over onto my side so I can look out the window next to my bed. The only things I hear are the television and Effie's high pitched voice. The only thing I see is the grey storm clouds outside. There's not really anything to relax me here, so I close my eyes for a few minutes as I try to calm down. I only open my eyes again when I hear my mother close the front door. I look out my window and see that she is leaving for work. That means that Madge should be here soon. I sit up and hug my knees for a few minutes before I finally gather the strength to push myself off of my bed. The walk to my dresser seems to take forever. Once I get there, I take out the paper bag and take a deep breath. I turn the bag upside down and let the test fall out. I am about to pick it up when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs and toward my room. I grab the test and hold it behind my back as my door opens. And in walks Madge.

"Oh my god!" I let out a gasp that I didn't even know I was holding onto. "It's just you."

"Are you okay?" She walks toward me. "You look _really _freaked out."

"I am," I mutter. "That'll happen when a human being may or may not be growing in you. Can we please just get this over with so I can calm down a little bit?"

She nods and holds out her hand, so I give her the pregnancy test. She explains everything to me and shows me how to read the test. As soon as she has explained all the instructions, she tells me to take the test to the bathroom while she waits in my room. When I finish, I leave the test in the cabinet under the sink- so that nobody will see it- and return to my room.

"How long does it take?"

"A few minutes," she tells me. "And then-"

I spin around as I hear another crash downstairs. I hear Effie moan angrily, and I groan myself.

"Hold that thought."

She nods, as I rush downstairs to see the two arguing over the broken glass on the floor. Effie stops as soon as she notices me and fakes a smile.

"He's so clumsy sometimes!" She giggles.

"Don't be lying to them!" he grumbles. "_You _broke that one."

"Haymitch!"

"No, no! I'll own up to the first one, but you can't keep blaming everything on the drunk!"

"Oh my god," I mumble to myself. "Do they ever shut up?"

They continue to argue as I stomp to the kitchen and grab the broom and dustpan. And even as I walk back into the dining room and clean up the mess. I storm into the kitchen, grab two glasses, hand one to each of them and wait. Effie thanks me for being so polite, and Haymitch grumbles something that sounds like "problem solved" before returning to the television. It takes a few minutes to get Effie to relax again, but I manage to. As I walk up to my room, I realize that maybe I _could _be a good mother if I can handle those two.

"Okay, Madge." I throw open the bathroom door and find her sitting on the rug in front of the sink. "What do we do now?" I look at her and realize that she has a very strange look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Katniss..."

"Madge." I try to fake a smile but fail. "Stop looking at me like that. You're freaking me out."

"Do you want to know the result?" she finally asks.

I swallow dryly and nod my head as I sit down in front of her. She glances at me one more time before looking at the test. She tells me the result and looks at me, waiting for my reaction.

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Results in the next chapter ;) Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	9. Chapter 9

Hellooo! x

Oh my gosh guyyys! I was really happy with the reaction from the last chapter. As the writer, it makes me happy that I could make you guys freak out so much :P Oh and I'd like to respond to one review personally: Guest (the one that was screaming at me in caps lock) YES I LIKED YOUR OPINION. THANKS DUDE/DUDETTE. I would have messaged you that but you know... You're anonymous. Enjoy!

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_I swallow dryly and nod my head as I sit down in front of her. She glances at me one more time before looking at the test. She tells me the result and looks at me, waiting for my reaction._

"Okay well," she says hesitantly. "I think it's positive."

My entire body freezes as she stares at me. I cannot move my mouth but even if I could, I'm not sure if I would have anything to say. The first things I feel- really feel- are the tears coming out of my eyes. And it all just comes apart from there.

"What do you mean you_ think_?" I snap. "Do you think or do you know?"

"I- I don't know," she sputters. "It was negative before but now it's positive, and it doesn't look like it's changing back again!"

"It was negative before?" My entire body has gone from immobile to a shaking mess. "Isn't it the first result? Doesn't that mean it was negative?"

"I- I don't..." She stops herself and takes a deep breath. Her eyes are watering too when she looks at me. "Katniss, I don't think so."

"It could be." She just shakes her head at me. I start panting as I feel myself getting more hysterical. "It could still be negative! It doesn't matter if it changes. Right? It's the first result! It has to be."

"Katniss, I'm sorry," she says quietly, looking like she is about to cry.

But she doesn't. I do. My body takes control and starts to panic in a way that my mind wouldn't allow. I hiccup and pant and gasp as I start to cry harder than I have in quite a few years. It hurts more to realize exactly where I am. I've never really broken down in front of anyone. Not even Peeta. But now, I am falling apart right in front of Madge, and there's no way I can stop. The embarrassment of it all almost makes it worse, but my mind doesn't give me much time to think about it. My face is wet from my tears by the time Madge wraps her arms around my torso and hugs me tightly. I grab onto her like a lifeline and cry into her shoulder. My mind and body are aching, and the stress feels like a weight on my back. Crushing me. I feel a stirring in my stomach as if I am about to be sick, but nothing happens. The horrible feeling just dwells there making me feel even weaker. After a few minutes pass, I start to calm down but I am still whimpering into her shoulder. She pats my back but says nothing. When I finally regain my senses, I pull away from her and look down.

"Sorry," I mutter.

"It's okay. It seemed like you kinda needed that." She smiles sympathetically and places her hand on my shoulder. "Look. We can try this again. I'll get another one tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay." I nod as I wipe the tears off my face. "Do you think there's any chance that it was wrong?"

"Maybe... And maybe I read it wrong. Maybe it is the first result that counts." She pats my shoulder before letting go. "We'll figure it out. So until then, there's no point in freaking out over it. Right?"

"I guess." I sigh as I wrap the test in toilet paper and throw it into the wastepaper basket.

"Come on." She held out her hand. "You said you have some things to tell me anyway. Right?"

I let her help me get up. We return to my room and sit down on the bed and start talking. I tell her about everything: my mother's hatred toward the Mellark's and- indirectly- toward Peeta, her history with Mr. Mellark, how she found my phone, and the specific texts that she found. She gasps and hums and shakes her head at all the right places, so I know that she is still listening even after I have spoken for quite some time. I even cave and tell her that I told Peeta what was going on, and she was more calm about it than I expected her to be. I guess after all that's happened, she doesn't want to get me worked up again. I am happy that she is being so calm with me because it makes it so much easier to talk, and talking is exactly what I need to do right now. She offers little advice, but I'm sure she knows that her listening is enough. We talk for at least an hour before I start to feel like I am falling asleep. Madge takes this as her sign to leave so that I can rest.

"I'll bring another one tomorrow," she tells me before she leaves. "We'll get this straightened out."

I nod and say goodbye to her before returning to my bed and lying down. From downstairs, I can hear Effie saying goodbye to Madge and wishing her a good night in her own over-the-top way. After the front door closes, she starts rambling about what a nice girl that was, but Haymitch doesn't seem to respond to her. After a minute passes, Prim knocks on my door and calls for me.

"Come in, Little Duck," I say tiredly.

I hear the door open, and I listen as she slowly approaches me.

"Hey," she says as she sits at the foot of my bed. "I just wanted to see if everything's okay. I heard someone crying before and-"

"That was Madge," I lie. "And it's kinda private. But don't worry. She's okay now."

"Okay..." she says slowly. "Does it have anything to do with the pregnancy test in the trash?"

My eyes widen, and I thank goodness that I am facing away from her so that she can't see my face.

"Yes," I say hesitantly. "But like I said, she's fine now. It's no big deal."

"Okay." I can hear sadness in her voice, but I'm still not confident enough to look at her. "I'm gonna go downstairs to eat. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks, Prim."

She gets off of my bed and slowly walks toward the door. I take a deep breath, only to realize that it was premature.

"Katniss?"

"Yeah, Prim?" I ask without turning to face her.

There is only silence for a few seconds, and I try not to show how nervous it is making me.

"You know you can talk to me if you need to. About _anything_."

I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing that she's figured it out. But I try again anyway, hoping that it will work.

"Yeah, Prim." I fake a laugh. "I know."

"Just making sure," she says quietly. "Remember that."

"I will," I whisper as the door closes.

Tears well up in my eyes, but I take a deep breath and force them back. I've cried enough already for one day. I sit up and listen as Prim walks down the steps. As soon as she gets to the bottom step, I hop off of my bed and hurry into the bathroom. I grab the pregnancy test from the trash- still half wrapped up in toilet paper- and bring it back to my room. I shove it into my bag and decide that it will stay there until I can find another place for it. A place where my mother will never find it.

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Sorry it's a little short, but I'm very busy right now. Next one will be longer! :) Oh and the actual results are in the next chapter...** *hides behind Peeta***

Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	10. Chapter 10

Hellooo! x

Thanks for all the reviews and support! Since you've given me so much, I will finally give you the results :P Enjoy!

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The night is filled with brand new nightmares. Instead of screaming for my father to run, I am screaming for Peeta as a monster- that somewhat resembles his mother- beats him senseless. No matter how hard I try, I cannot move to save him and they do not seem to hear me. I am screaming as my mother delivers my baby only to kill her. Peeta looks at her in horror as she comes for us next. I am screaming when Prim appears in front of me.

"Katniss!" she yells.

I sit up so fast that I almost bash my head against hers. My throat is dry and hoarse from screaming, and my body is damp with sweat. I sit there panting as Prim stares at me. I try to think of something to say to reassure her that I am okay, but nothing comes to mind. She seems to understand though since she wraps her arms around my shoulders for a few seconds before pulling away and telling me that we should get ready for school. As soon as she closes the door behind her, I force myself out of bed and head for my closet.

While I dress myself- in a simple blouse and jeans as usual- I start to think about my nightmares. Of course the concept is ridiculous. Peeta's mother does not look like a monster even if she is abusive. And my mother would never kill my baby or Peeta. And she would certainly never kill me. But it felt so real as it was happening that I feel afraid just thinking about it. I try to shake it off as I go into the bathroom, but I am still shaking a little. Effie snores loudly in the next room as I wash my face and run a brush through my hair. I wonder how she even slept through my screaming, but then it's not the weirdest thing she's done.

As soon as I finish, I retrieve my bag from my room and hurry down the stairs where Prim is already waiting. Luckily, she has already finished her breakfast so I grab an apple and tell her I'll eat at school. I know that if I sit down to eat with her, she'll start asking questions that I don't want to answer. I even leave the radio on for the entire ride to Prim's school. But nothing can drown out the tense atmosphere between us. It's obvious that she knows I'm keeping something from her, and I don't have the strength to tell her yet. Even as I pull up to her school, she only mumbles a goodbye and walks away without even looking back.

When I get to my school a few minutes later, the first thing I do is shove the concealed pregnancy test into one of the closed trash cans. I look around to make sure nobody is looking before I continue on my way. The hallway is already fairly full when I walk in, and many of the students push right past me like I'm not even there. When I get to my locker, I see Peeta across the hallway. But that's not what bothers me. The thing that makes me stomach churn with jealousy is the fact that he is talking to the blonde girl that I noticed earlier: Delly. Peeta looks at her sadly as she tells him something. I cannot tell what it is from here since I can't even see her face. Peeta did say that she was having problems with her family, and I hope that that is all they are talking about. His eyes find me, and I look at my locker quickly. My cheeks burn from the embarrassment of being caught staring as I put in my combination. I put in my bag and look through my books, trying to find something to do. About a minute later, he comes up behind me and I turn to face him.

"Hey," I say as he leans against the locker right next to mine. "What was that about?"

"Oh nothing." He runs his hand through his hair and sighs when he realizes I'm still staring at him. "She was just telling me something."

"What was she telling you?"

"Nothing important." He looks away and I can't help but feel a little hurt that he is obviously lying to me. "It doesn't matter. Did you take the test?"

"Yeah, but it's not really important," I mutter angrily.

He looks at me and sighs before finally telling me the truth.

"Look. It's nothing. She was just saying that she... kinda likes me, but I told her that I love you and nothing is gonna happen." My heart sinks at his words. I look at my locker and he places his hand on my shoulder and leans into me. "I swear nothing happened. I told her that we're just friends, and she understands. She was really nice about it. She understands that I love you, and I promise that's all that happened! Katniss, please don't be upset-"

"How would you feel if one of _my _friends told me that he liked me?" I snap. "You would be upset and you know it. Don't tell me not to be upset."

"I would trust you enough to know that you wouldn't do anything," he says, making me feel both guilty and angry at the same time.

"What? Now you think I don't trust you?"

I turn on him, and I watch his expression change from defensive to sympathetic as my eyes start to tear up. Dammit. Why do I keep getting so emotional?

"Katniss, I know you're really stressed right now," he says quietly. "But I promise you can trust me."

"I know," I mutter, looking at my locker again. "I'm sorry. I don't-"

"Katniss!" I look up and see Madge running toward me. She slows down as she looks from me to Peeta. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all," I lie. "Do you have it?"

"Yes!" She grins. "And I also have some information that you should hear!"

I look at Peeta and he looks right back at me. Our hands find each other's in an unspoken agreement despite our argument. I sigh and look back at her hopefully.

"What is it?"

"Well, I went looking around and I did some research." She smiles uncontrollably at me. "It turns out that if a negative test turns positive after a few minutes, it's most likely still negative!"

"Really?" I ask excitedly. "Madge, do you think-"

"Wait a minute," Peeta says as he looks at both of us. "Your test was positive? And you didn't even say anything?"

"Well that was my fault." Madge comes to my aid once again. "I think I might have read it wrong, but there was no point in telling you until we know for sure."

"We're going to do it again today," I add quietly.

"We could even do it during lunch if you want," she says as she returns her attention to me. "It only takes a few minutes, and the bathrooms are always empty!"

"Okay, fine," Peeta says, making both of us look at him again. He looks at me and sighs. "Just promise me that you'll tell me what it comes back with this time. Okay? Right after you find out."

"I will." I nod, and he stares at me for a moment before squeezing my hand and kissing my forehead.

"I'll see you at lunch then."

I only realize that I was holding my breath when he has already taken a few steps away from me. I take a breath and look at him as he walks back to his friends.

"Is he okay?" Madge asks as I look at her again.

"I think so." She nods as I pick up my books. "I hope so."

We walk to class together as the bell rings. And as always, I barely pay attention in any of my classes. I just wait anxiously until it is finally lunch time. When it is, I walk faster than I ever have before to meet Madge. She stands up from the table as soon as she sees me, and we start walking to the bathroom down the hall.

"What took you so long?" she asks jokingly as she struggles to keep up with me.

"Well it turns out you can't push people out of your way in the hallways," I mutter.

She giggles as we enter the bathroom. I freeze as I realize that there are about five girls here, and they each look at me as we walk in. Two are fixing their makeup, one is checking herself out in the mirror, and two are talking to each other and taking pictures of each other with their phones.

"I thought you said this bathroom is always empty," I hiss under my breath.

"I thought it was!"

I turn to look at her and she raises her eyebrows at me.

"What if one of them sees something and starts telling everybody?" I whisper as a girl that I didn't even know was here flushes one of the toilets.

"Katniss, they won't…" She sighs. "Oh screw it."

She grabs my hand and pulls me into the large stall at the end that was meant for handicapped people. By the time I get over the shock of Madge being so assertive, she has already locked the stall and pulled the test out of her bag.

"Dammit!" I whisper as the same girl turns on the loud hand dryer. "Now they're gonna think I'm a fucking lesbian!"

"Katniss, we don't really have time to worry about what people think." She hands me the test and turns around to face the corner. "Okay. Go ahead, I won't look."

"What the _fuck_?" I squeal and she turns around to shush me. "No!"

"Would you rather pee and then have me come in again?" she snaps. "We would start even more rumors that way! Just do it, Katniss! I'm not looking."

I stare at the back of her head for about a minute before I groan and finally take the test. I keep watching her the entire time, but she never even moves until I tell her that she can turn around.

"Good?" she asks, and I nod at her. "Okay. Here, gimme."

She lays out a piece of toilet paper on top of the paper dispenser and I place the test on top of it so that we can both see it. We both stand there- leaning against the wall of the stall- as we wait for the result. We talk a little, and she tries to calm me down. She even pulls out her phone so that we can listen to music while we wait, but I grab it out of her hand.

"They're gonna think we're trying to drown something out!"

"Oh my god!" She groans and stuffs it back into her bag. "Fine."

Instead I finally ask her what is going on between her and Gale, and she blushes. She tells me that they have been talking more, and he only recently asked her out. But she doesn't even give me a chance to be excited for her before she looks down at the test.

"Okay. Let's see."

She leans down to look at it closer and then she looks up at me.

"What is it?" I ask nervously. "What does it say?"

"Negative." I freeze as she smiles at me. "Katniss, it's negative."

"Oh my god…" I whisper as I press my fingers to my temple. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely." She nods and grabs my shoulders. "You're not pregnant."

I shudder as I let out a breath of relief, and she giggles at my reaction. I throw my arms around her and she returns the hug happily. A part of me knows that I should feel guilty for being so happy about this, but the rest of me is too relieved to care. When I pull away from her, she smiles at me again.

"We should go get Peeta," she tells me. "Remember he said to tell him right away?"

"Right." I shove the test into the garbage and grab my bag before opening the stall door. She walks past me and starts heading for the door before I stop her. "Dammit, Madge. Wash your hands!"

If all of the girls weren't looking at us before, they are now. I look around realizing what I just said and slowly walk to the sink followed by Madge.

"Real smooth." She giggles.

I roll my eyes as we both wash our hands quickly and rush out of the bathroom. When we get to the cafeteria, Madge tells me that she will meet me at the table and leaves my side. My legs are shaking as they carry me to the table where Peeta is sitting and talking with his friends. He looks up as I walk toward him, and the smile immediately leaves his face. He stands up quickly and hurries to meet me even though I am only a few steps away from him now.

"Hey," he says when he gets to me. "Did you take the test?"

"Yeah." I bite my lip to keep myself from smiling. "It's negative."

"Negative," he repeats like he doesn't understand.

"I'm not pregnant, Peeta," I whisper so that only he will hear.

For a moment he looks like he doesn't know how to react, but then he gives me a small smile and grabs my hands.

"That's great," he says as he wraps his arms around my waist.

"Really?"

He looks down for a second but keeps smiling.

"Katniss, I won't lie to you. Okay?" I nod and he looks down. "I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about what it would be like if you were pregnant. I was so worried that it was actually gonna happen that I started to..." He shakes his head. "But it doesn't matter. I know you're not ready. I just want you to be happy, that's all I care about."

He nods like he is trying to remind myself and then he smiles at me again. I wrap my arms around his neck, trying to appreciate this bittersweet moment instead of focusing on the people around us. He kisses my cheek before pulling away. I reach up to run my hand through his thick curls, and he grins at me.

"I love you."

"I love you more." He pecks my lips and releases me. "I'll talk to you after english. Okay?"

I nod and say goodbye to him before returning to my table with Madge. As soon as I can see her, she is staring at me knowingly. I roll my eyes at her as she asks me what happened and giggles. It is then that I realize that I forgot to take my lunch out of my locker. I mentally curse myself and tell Madge that I'll be right back. I walk briskly down the hallway until I hear voices around the corner. I freeze when I hear my name and lean against the wall as I listen.

"She's a slut!" one of them giggles. "She was talking about a pregnancy test in the bathroom today _while _she was hooking up with some girl."

"But... a girl can't get another girl pregnant!"

"No shit, Glimmer!" the first girl mutters. "That means she's sleeping around. Then again she is from the Seam, so I guess it's not breaking news."

My blood is boiling when I hear one of them close a locker door and start walking in my direction. I push away from the wall and start walking slowly toward my own locker. The two girls walk by me, and I immediately recognize the brunette girl from the bathroom. She smirks at me with her perfectly glossy lips and the other one- who I assume is Glimmer- is oblivious to me as she pops her gum in her mouth. I listen to them as they get further and further away from me. Finally, when I can't hear them anymore, I kick one of the lockers as hard as I can and curse under my breath as pain spreads through my entire foot.

* * *

I just wanted to say a quick sorry to anyone who wanted Katniss to be pregnant, but that wasn't really my plan for this story and I didn't want to change it and mess myself up!

Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	11. Chapter 11

Hellooo! x

So I can honestly say you guys will be happy with the next couple of chapters. And I think it will make up for the pregnancy test cliffhangers so that you guys won't have to hate me anymore! :P This chapter is more fluffy though than anything else. Enjoy!

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I chip at the wood on my desk as Madge stares at me. The ice that I got from the nurse for my foot is already melting and dripping all over my hand, but I can't really throw it out since it is helping the pain. I have already told Madge about the ordeal that led to this injury, but now it seems that she has nothing to say in response. She probably thinks that anything she could say would set me off, so I look up at her to show her that she can talk. Before she can say anything, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look to my right as Peeta leans down next to our desks.

"Hey, what happened?" He pushes my hair behind my ear as I look at his concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I mutter. "I just stubbed my toe."

"Are you sure that's all that happened?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I don't want to talk about this right now, Peeta." He stands up straight again as the bell rings. "Later. Meet me by my car."

He nods and squeezes my shoulder gently before returning to his desk. Madge gives me one last reassuring look before turning around to look at the teacher. Of course today consists of another rant about the "foolish" lovers- as she calls them. Unfortunately, she ends sooner than usual to tell us that we must complete a project before we take a final test for the entire book. The entire class groans as she starts handing out project sheets to everyone. When I get mine, I look down at it and read the instructions.

"You'll notice that you have quite a few options," she tells us. "And I- being as generous as I am- will allow you and your partner to complete only one of the choices for your project."

A few of the students snicker at the word "generous", but the word that gets my attention is "partner". Madge and I always choose each other, but sometimes I wish I could choose Peeta just so I would actually have a reason to spend some time with him outside of school. The teacher tells all of us to stand up, and we do. I look at Madge like I always do, but this time she smiles at me for a second before looking around the room. Since she won't look at me or talk to me, I let my eyes wander as well. My eyes find Peeta across the room, and he stares back at me until she starts talking again.

"Okay." She claps her hands together to get our attention. "Let's start over here." She points at the desk in front and closest to the door. "Marvel, pick your partner."

"Umm..." The brown-haired boy looks around for a minute before grinning at someone in the back of the room. "_Catooo_!"

"What's good, Marvel?!"

I roll my eyes as they yell to each other across the room until the teacher finally tells them to- in her own polite way- shut up. She writes it down quickly and tells them to sit down.

"Peeta." I look down as she approaches him in the second seat behind Marvel. "Your partner?"

"Katniss."

I look up, trying not to seem as shocked as I am. He gives me a small smile like he's not really sure if he just did the right thing, and I can't even react to tell him if he was right or wrong. Of course by this point, none of the students are really paying much attention since they're just waiting to tell her who their partner is. So we both sit down in our chairs before we unintentionally make a big deal of this. I look up to give Madge an apologetic look, and she smiles to tell me it's okay. I sigh and look down at my paper as she goes around asking for everybody's partner. Madge partners with a girl named Fiora. She sits in the back corner of the room. When I turn to look at her, it surprises me how much she resembles a fox with her red hair and thin face.

"Good!" She returns to the front of the room and puts the paper down on her desk. "I'll expect these projects done in one week. You'll each present in front of the class, and you will be graded for your performance and assessment."

She goes on to explain each choice to us, but I end up zoning out since each one is pretty self-explanatory. Instead of listening, I stare at my paper or the window and try to pretend that Peeta isn't staring at me from across the room. I sigh as I realize that the ice I am holding to my foot has become pretty much a bag of cold water, but I'm not really sure of my ability to reach the garbage can near the door.

"What do you think you're gonna do?" Madge asks when the teacher finally retires to her desk.

"No idea. None of these seem very fun." I shrug. "Then again, this stupid project is the least of my worries right now."

I fake a smile, and she giggles at me before looking at my foot again.

"Is that feeling any better?"

"A little." I sigh as I look down at it. "Except not really."

"Maybe you should have your mom look at it."

"Yeah right!" I roll my eyes. "Even if my foot was hanging off of my leg by a _thread, _she would yell at me and give me a nice long lecture before helping me."

"A lecture about your foot or..." She glances to the side to make sure nobody is listening. "You know who?"

"Take a guess." She giggles. "I don't know how long she's going to drag this out. I wish she would just accept that he's different."

"Maybe she will one day," Madge says hopefully. "Maybe when she realizes that he's actually like the nicest person in town."

She chuckles as I shrug my shoulders. When the bell rings, I shoot a glance at Peeta as he walks toward the door. Madge helps me as I slowly stand up and limp to the door in front of her. I drop the bag of water in the garbage before walking into the hallway.

"If I find out that this is broken..." I mutter as I look down at my foot. "Never mind. I don't even know what I'll do."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it's okay." She smiles. "Listen. Gale's picking me up today. Do you want me to help you to your car before you leave?"

"I'm okay," I say as we walk through the front door. "Go ahead and find your beloved Gale."

She giggles happily as she says goodbye to me. I watch as she hurries away in search of Gale's car. I continue to limp slowly as I head for my own car. My foot is aching more and more with each step that I take, but I bite my lip and keep walking anyway. The parking lot is only half full now since most of the students take off as soon as class ends. Most seniors have one less class than us, so all of their cars have cleared out already. The remaining students are hanging around with their friends in front of their cars. And then I spot Peeta leaning against my old beaten-up car, patiently waiting. When he sees me, he smiles but then frowns again when he realizes that I'm in pain. He runs to meet me and puts his arm around me so that I can lean on him.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "I'm sorry. I should have realized you would need help."

"I don't need help." I smile at how nervous he is now. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Funny that you would say _I don't need help _while you're clinging to me and limping around!"

"Oh shut up."

He chuckles but says nothing more. When we reach my car, I pull out my key and wince as I realize that my right foot is hurt. And I drive with my right foot. I curse under my breath.

"How am I gonna do this?" I mutter to myself.

"Here." I look up at Peeta, and he holds out his free hand for me. "I can drive."

"No. No, I can-"

"Katniss, you're obviously in pain," he says seriously. "I promise I won't crash your car or anything. I'll take you straight home and then I'll just walk to the bakery."

He looks so hopeful that after looking at him for only a few seconds, I sigh and drop my head.

"Fine." I groan. "But you better be careful."

"Yeah." He pokes at the rusted side-view mirror with a crack in it. "Wouldn't want to break anything. This car looks mad expensive."

I turn to glare at him and he chuckles for a second before helping me into the passenger seat. He shuts the door behind me and walks around the car leisurely to get to the driver's seat. I put on my seat belt and sit back, waiting, but he doesn't turn the car on. Instead he pushes the key in and then turns to look at me.

"Okay. Well, there's nobody watching us anymore. There's no cameras in here." He smiles for a moment before looking at me seriously. "Can you tell me what's going on now?"

"I can try."

He finds my hand and squeezes it comfortingly as I start to tell him everything that happened after I left the cafeteria. He furrows his eyebrows and looks down uncomfortably when I tell him what that brunette girl said about me. As soon as I finish, he looks at me and smiles weakly.

"You really have to start controlling your anger before you kill yourself." I look down and he leans into me. "Look. I know you're upset that so many people are suddenly watching you and talking about you. But you know what?"

"What?" I look up at him when he doesn't answer for a while.

"Screw them. All of them. I mean not literally." I snort as he smiles at me. "None of them matter. It doesn't matter what they say. You're beautiful and smart and everything that they wish they could be. If they could see you the way I do, they would never bother you again. They would be in love with you... That would be a lot of competition for me though."

"No way." I smile at my lap as his words make a blush appear on my cheeks. "You don't have competition anywhere."

"Oh really?"

When I look up, I realize that he has been leaning toward me this whole time and now his face is inches from mine. He smiles as I look at his lips and lean closer to him. He rests his forehead against mine and moves in until I can feel his warm breath against my own lips.

"Really."

I barely have time to get the word out before our lips are connected. Peeta sighs in what I can only guess is relief and rests his hands on my arms. I run my fingers over the short, thin hairs on the back of his neck as I wish that I could stay here with him forever. I wish we never had to leave this car or deal with any of these people. I wish we could stay here together- kissing and talking to each other whenever we want to- forever. When he pulls away and stares at me for a moment, I think that he might be thinking the same thing.

"We should probably get you home," he says reluctantly.

As soon as he lets go of me and pulls away, it feels like every area that he was covering suddenly becomes cold. I already miss the feeling of his warm, strong hands on me and his lips on mine, but I don't stop him because I know my mother will be waiting for me to get home. The entire ride is mostly quiet, but I don't really mind. Since there aren't many turns on the way home, Peeta chooses to drive with one hand and hold mine with his other hand. Each time my mind wanders, I try to remind myself to focus on the feeling of my hand in his. And it is enough until he pulls up next to my house. I sigh and look up at the house, wishing I didn't have to go in just yet. And that's when I see one of the curtains move in the front window.

"Everything okay?" Peeta asks as he turns the car off.

"No," I say quietly without looking at him.

Before I can think of a way to get him out of here, my mother is storming out of the front door and towards my car. I curse under my breath as I throw open the door and push myself onto my feet with difficulty. Peeta follows my lead and hurries around the front of the car to meet me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with my daughter?" My mother yells at Peeta before returning her attention to me. "Katniss, what did I tell you?"

"Mom, it's nothing!" I stand in front of Peeta, hoping that she'll focus on me instead. "I got hurt and I couldn't drive, so Peeta-"

"I don't want to hear it," she snaps. "You could have gotten _anyone _to drive you, Katniss. You could have asked Madge, Gale, you could have called me. But instead you went and did exactly what I told you not to do."

"Ms. Everdeen-"

"Peeta, don't," I warn him quietly.

"I just wanted to say," he interrupts despite my order, "that it was my idea. If anyone is to blame, it's me. Not Katniss."

"Well, you should have known better." She glares at him and then looks at me. "_You _should have known better."

"But-"

"I may not be friends with your parents, young man, but I have no problem telling them about this if you don't get out of here in ten seconds."

"Mom!"

"I'm really very sorry," Peeta says.

"One."

Peeta says something else, but I don't really hear it since I'm too busy trying to get my mother's attention. But it doesn't matter since Peeta starts to walk away anyway. My mother stops counting as I watch after him, but he doesn't even look back once. When he turns the corner, angry tears form in my eyes. I turn around to glare at her for only a second before I brush past her and run inside, trying to ignore the horrible pain in my foot. She yells after me, but I don't stop for her. In the living room, Effie and Haymitch turn to look at us as we pass by, but I don't even look at them. She follows me all the way up the stairs, but I slam my bedroom door shut and lock it before she can follow me in.

"Katniss!" She bangs on the door. "Open the door!"

"Go away!" I yell, probably loud enough for the neighbors to hear before collapsing on my bed. "Leave me alone!"

But she keeps yelling anyway. She starts yelling about how disappointed she is and how I am grounded for god-knows-how-long. I don't even listen to her, and she seems to realize this since she finally storms back downstairs. The silence is such a relief to me that I finally get to take a good breath. Still lying on my stomach, I lift my head to look at the picture of my father on my bedside table. He smiles back at me, his face tired but still young and his eyes caring and happy. I reach out to pick up the frame and bring it closer to me.

"I wish you were here, Dad," I whisper to him. "You would have liked him. You wouldn't let this happen. You would have helped me through this. I wish she could see this the way you would. But she's never understood me like you do... I miss you so much." I peck the frame and place it on the table again. "I love you, Dad."

I bury my face in my pillow and let it absorb my tears. I try to remember Peeta's words, that it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks. But how am I supposed to believe that when it's so easy for my mother to keep us apart because that's what she considers right?

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Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	12. Chapter 12

Hellooo! x

Yay! So close to 100 reviews! I'm so happy right now that this story got a lot further than I thought it would :3 **GROUP HUG!** Okay well now that that's done... I know that you guys are starting to hate Ms. Everdeen, but I promise you'll see more of her side in the near future! Enjoy!

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Just as I had guessed, my mother has forbidden me from leaving the house to celebrate my birthday unless it is with the family. Since spending time with my mother after all that's happened doesn't seem very fun, I decide to lock myself in my room instead. As my own little way of getting back at her. Effie and my mother knock on my door a few times asking me to come out, but I never even answer them. The only person that I let in is Prim.

"Happy birthday." She smiles weakly as she sits down on my bed. "How does it feel to be seventeen?"

"Oh..." I fake a smile. "Fantastic."

She giggles and leans against the wall as she looks out through the window.

"How come you won't come out?"

I consider telling her everything that happened when Peeta brought me home, but I decide against it. Prim is always so caring and empathetic, she would probably try to defend our mother. Plus, it would take too long to explain everything that she needs to know.

"I guess I'm just not in the mood to celebrate right now." I shrug.

"Oh." She looks down at the sheets and sighs. "Well, Effie offered to take us all shopping. If you change your mind-"

"I don't think I will." I snort at the idea of shopping with Effie, Prim, and my mother. I can just see Effie forcing me into a makeup store to get a makeover or dragging me into one of those over-priced yet mediocre clothing stores to get a whole new wardrobe. Seriously, printing your company's name on a blank T-shirt doesn't make it high-end fashion. "You guys can go. Maybe I'll watch TV with Haymitch or something."

"Okay." She quirks an eyebrow and smiles at this. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely. Go ahead, you guys will have more fun without me moping around behind you."

She giggles. "I doubt that. It's never as much fun without you."

"I'm sorry, Little Duck, but I'd really rather stay here."

"Okay." She sighs and pecks my cheek. "At least try to enjoy your birthday somehow."

She pushes herself off of my bed and walks to the door. As soon as she gets to the bottom of the stairs, I hear her yelling to Effie that I said they could go without me. I smile as I stand up and lock the door behind her. I stand there with my hand on the doorknob, waiting for my mother to come and force me to go with them or for Effie to knock on my door once again and ask if I'm sure. But surprisingly, they do neither. Instead I hear them getting their things together and reminding Haymitch not to let anyone in to see me. And he grumbles in response. I sigh in relief and sit down in the desk chair across from my bed. I look through my books, wishing that there was some rule stating that homework was not due on Monday if your birthday fell on a Saturday or a Sunday. Unfortunately, it still is. And that English project is still due on Thursday, and I haven't even been able to spend time with Peeta to work on it yet.

I finish the math and history homework before looking down at the paper for the English project. Some of the options include drawing out scenes from _Romeo & Juliet_ in a comic book-like format. I'm sure Peeta would be good at that, but I would not be able to help him at all. There's an option to write a song about the play, but there's no way I'm going to sing in front of my entire class. You can also act out a scene, but let's face it. The only people who are going to do that are the ones that are just doing it to be funny. There's no doubt in my mind that Cato and Marvel will choose this one. None of these options are really appealing. If anything, they're all pretty embarrassing.

My phone- which my mother finally returned to me yesterday as a _birthday gift_- buzzes, and I pick it up from the desk. It's a text from Peeta, and I can't help but smile when I see it. When I open it, it reads: _Remember that time when we were fourteen, and you said that I should try being more adventurous because I was too afraid to climb trees with you?_

I smile to myself and text back something that is sure to make him laugh.

_No, weirdo. Only you remember stuff like that._

I put my phone back down on my desk and keep working, even though I still can't get this stupid smile off my face. Of course I can't help but feel a little confused when he doesn't text back. Just as I start texting him to ask why he's even bringing that up, I hear something at my window. I turn around and jump when I see Peeta right outside, clutching onto the tree outside my window as he waves me over with his other hand. I run to open the window, and I hold out my hand so I can help him in. It takes a minute, but we eventually get him through the window and into my room. He is still panting when I throw my arms around his neck and grin at him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... I just didn't really think that through..." He stops for a moment to catch his breath. "Usually you're the one that climbs the trees. And you make it look so easy, I thought maybe..." He holds onto his knees as he continues to breathe heavily. "Bad judgement on my part."

"Peeta, come on." I giggle as I take his hand and lead him to my bed. "Sit down." When he does, I sit down next to him and hand him a tissue to wipe off the sweat on his forehead. "How long were you trying to get up here?"

"You know, that's not really important."

I roll my eyes and smirk as I look at him. And that's when I remember that he has a backpack on. Once his breathing has slowed down enough, I decide to ask.

"What's in the bag?"

"Huh? Oh!" He smiles as he pulls it off of his shoulders and reaches into it. "I told you I'd get these pastries to you somehow!"

I smile and bite my lip as I watch him pull out a small white box the size of my head, another about the half its size, and an envelope. He looks up at me and smiles when he sees that I am. He tells me that the small box and the envelope are gifts to open later, but the bigger box is an assortment of cookies and small cakes so that we can find my favorite. He tells me that he paid for all it, so we don't have to worry about his parents finding out. After he explains all of this, he looks at me for a response but no words come to me. I can tell that he is worried by my silence. And since I cannot find the words to tell him how happy I am, I use my actions instead. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him with all the love that I can muster. I can tell that he understands from the way that he returns the kiss. His hands softly grasp my waist and I sigh into his mouth. I only pull away when I realize that I need to take a breath. And when I do, he looks at me with a dazed look in his eyes.

"You're incredible," I say as soon as I catch my breath. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." He smiles back at me as he plays with the ends of my hair. "So what do you want to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well do you want to try one or open one of your presents?" he asks. "Or anything else. It's up to you."

"What might be in the _anything else _category?"

"Well..." He shrugs and thinks for a moment before a smirk appears on his face. "How about seventeen birthday kisses?"

"Really?" I hum playfully and smile at him. "I like the sound of that."

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Is there a lemon in the next chapter you ask? Idk man... You're just gonna have to wait to find out! :3 Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	13. Chapter 13

Hellooo! x

Yay for fast updates! In other news, my 100th reviewer was **Cadence**! Yay! I'm glad it was you since you were there to help me from the very beginning before this story was really anything :P Thanks, Cadence and everyone else who has been reading/reviewing/following. I really appreciate it! Enjoy!

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He grins and brings his lips to mine. Before they touch, he gently runs his tongue over my bottom lip and I moan in anticipation. By the time he kisses me, I am breathing heavily and trying not to make too much noise. Our tongues battle for dominance until I finally give in and let him win. He explores my mouth and I moan into his as I run my fingers through his thick blonde hair. He pulls away way too soon and looks at me mischievously.

"One," he whispers as he moves his head down. His lips end up on my neck, and I gasp as he sucks on one spot forcefully for only a few seconds. "Two."

"Peeta," I whine, being careful to keep my voice down.

He pulls back to look at me and my breath catches as I see how dark his eyes are. I lean in to kiss him again, but he pulls away from me before I can even get close. He looks down and sighs.

"I'm sorry." He runs his hand through his hair. "We shouldn't be doing this." Before I can say anything, he continues. "This time, it was just a false alarm. But what if this happens again? I know you're not ready to have children, Katniss. We may have gotten lucky this time, but we might not be so lucky next time. I don't want you to do anything you're going to regret."

"Peeta." I put my hand on his cheek so that he'll look at me. "We don't have to..." He looks at me, and I blush. "I mean there are other things we could do."

"Katniss, you're so cute when you're trying to talk about sex." He chuckles as my blush worsens.

"Come on." I sigh, trying not to get too embarrassed. "You know what I mean! We don't have to do everything, but we could do something."

"Like?"

He raises an eyebrow as I lean into him. But that smirk disappears as soon as I grasp him through his pants. He hisses and starts breathing heavily.

"Like this." I push him against the headboard of my bed and straddle his hips. He watches me like he is shocked at my actions.

"Katniss." He gulps as he holds onto my hips to keep them from pressing against his. "Are you sure about this?"

"We don't have to do everything," I repeat as I kiss the area right next to his ear. "But I need something. I need _you_, Peeta."

He tenses at these words. I nip at his earlobe until his body starts to relax. He groans as quietly as he can and lets go of my hips so that they meet his. I silently thank goodness that I was too lazy to put on anything else but a sundress as he slides his hands under the skirt of it and rubs my thighs, squeezing them every now and then. I kiss my way down to his jaw and then to his neck. He pants and whispers my name over and over again like a soft prayer. I squeak in surprise as his hands grasp my backside and he pulls me closer to him. As my own form of revenge, I roll my hips and grind myself against him. I bite my lip to keep myself from moaning as he groans and closes his eyes tightly.

"Oh, god," he mutters as I continue to tease him. "Katniss... So good."

My entire body is aching for him, but I know that I need to control myself. He starts to thrust his hips upward to meet mine, and our game reaches a whole new level. Every time our hips press against the other's, one of us makes some kind of noise. Peeta groans, and I whimper only when I can't hold it in anymore. Even this feels so good that I feel like I could do this for hours, and it would still feel amazing. But it seems that Peeta has other plans. He bunches the bottom of my dress up in his hands before pulling the whole thing over my head. He throws it aside and now I sit in front of him in nothing but a bra and panties. He stares at my body like this is his first time seeing it. The longer he gazes at me, the more I want him. It was in a moment like this that I realized: I feel the most beautiful when he stares at me hungrily as he does now.

Before I have a chance to do anything, his mouth is on my neck. He creates a trail of open-mouthed kisses all the way down to my collarbone. I shudder and gasp as he sucks and nips on various parts of my skin. His hands travel from my backside to the back of my bra. He unclips it easily and pushes the straps off of my shoulders so that the garment falls into my lap. I push it aside with one hand. The other is still knotted in his hair. He pulls away enough to see my face, and I bite my lip, already knowing what he is about to do. He watches my face as he squeezes my right breast and starts to tease the nipple with his thumb. I gasp and throw my head back in pleasure. Every sensation that his fingers cause to my breast travels straight down to the area between my legs like a bolt of lightening. My body jolts unexpectedly making me gasp, and he stares at me lustfully.

"Peeta... More."

He leans down and glides his tongue over my left breast before putting his mouth on it. He sucks on it while still teasing the other with his hand until I become a whimpering, panting mess. I tug at his hair even though I'm not really sure if I've been pulling him away from me or toward me. He gives my breast one last squeeze before he pulls away to look at me.

"Katniss, can I..."

He doesn't finish, but I understand what he means when he hooks his finger into the side of my panties. I nod and leave his lap only long enough for him to take my underwear off. As soon as he tosses it aside, I am on his lap again and he is staring at me. His eyes scan my naked body, and I can feel him getting harder underneath me. I am about to offer to free him from his own clothing when he suddenly pushes a finger inside of me. I gasp and my whole body shakes for a moment. My eyes never lose his, as he curls his finger inside of me and I bite my lip. His eyes are so dark now as he watches me struggle to keep myself under control. I know that I cannot make too much noise, but I have no problem squirming around on top of him. In response, he starts pumping his finger in and out of me as his thumb rubs circles in my clit. I drop my head and start whimpering into his shoulder. His other hand starts playing with my breast again, and my entire body trembles.

"_Yes_," I whisper repeatedly, wishing I could scream out my pleasure. I know how much he loves it when I scream, but I'm not wiling to risk anything louder than a moan. "_Peeta_..."

"Does that feel good?" he whispers teasingly.

"Oh god..." I moan softly in his ear. "Yes, Peeta. Yes."

He smirks as he pushes another finger inside of me and starts pumping them in and out of me faster and faster. As if his attention to the area between my legs and my breast wasn't enough, he begins to kiss my neck sloppily, paying special attention to the most sensitive areas. His wet lips on my skin, his fingers inside me and rubbing against me, and his hand on my breast give me so much pleasure that I have trouble focusing on all of his actions.

"You're so wet," he mutters, his warm breath hitting my neck. "And tight."

I moan softly in response since it's the only noise that I can really allow myself to make. My entire body is shaking and sweating, and my breathing turned into panting a long time ago. I try to hold onto this for as long as I can, but the pleasure is too intense. I'm already lucky that I've lasted this long. I clutch onto his shoulders, my nails digging into him a little. I can feel myself tightening up and jolting against him. He pulls his lips away from my neck and watches my face, but his actions below my waist and on my breast are more than enough to push me over the edge. I close my eyes and pant through my orgasm. My face and my body both tense up then relax. And finally, I fall against him again and hold onto his shoulders as he plants chaste kisses on my neck and shoulder. He holds onto me as we wait for my breathing to slow down. When I can finally pull away from him and hold myself up, he smiles at me.

"You look so beautiful when you come," he says as he leans in to kiss me.

I smile against his lips and kiss him back as well as I can. My body is still weak and shaking, but I slide my hands down his torso and tug at the end of his shirt anyway. He pulls away so that I can pull it over his head. I can feel his eyes on me as I examine his toned body with me eyes and then my hands. He groans as I press my bare chest against his and start sucking on the sensitive spot under his ear. His hand travels up and down my bare back. I slowly move my hands down from his shoulders to his chest to his stomach until I reach the zipper of his jeans. I pull away from him to unzip them and pull them off of his legs before doing the same with his boxers. He moans in relief as his erection springs forward, and I can't help but stare at him. Just the thought that I was the one to make him this hard and aroused is enough to make me come undone. I run my hand over his length, and he hisses as his hips come off of the bed.

He whispers my name, and I feel something stirring inside just from the sound of it. He stares down at me- already panting like crazy- as I tighten my grip on him and pump him slowly until he is groaning and grabbing onto my sheets. His knuckles are almost white by the time I finally lower my head to his erection and lick the tip. He gasps in anticipation and squeezes his eyes shut for a second. I feel a strange sense of both pride and lust as I watch what I am doing to him. He starts to whisper my name, but it turns into a strangled cry when I take him in my mouth as far as I can.

I start to suck on him as my hands grasp and stroke at the areas that I cannot reach. A thin layer of sweat forms on his forehead as he pants and tries his hardest not to thrust his hips up towards my mouth. I can tell that he is close as his body starts to tense up, and I know one thing that will get him there in seconds. I look up at him and moan- my mouth still wrapped around him- until he loses himself completely. The vibrations from my mouth send him over the edge. He releases inside my mouth with one last groan before his body relaxes. I force myself to swallow before I pull away and crawl back into his lap. He is still breathing heavily when he pulls me down for a kiss.

"You're amazing," he says as he runs his fingers through my hair.

"No, you're the one that almost killed yourself just to get up that tree to see me."

I roll onto my back and giggle as he rolls his eyes. He puts his arm around me as I curl up next to him and rest my head on his chest.

"You know, I would climb a million trees to see you."

"Aw really?" I smirk.

"Really." He pecks the top of my head. "And those trees wouldn't see a damn thing coming."

I giggle as he looks down at me. I rest my chin on his chest so I can look at him too, and he smiles.

"I really would do anything," he says quietly. "I hope you know that."

I smile and press my cheek against his chest so that he won't see me blush. My eyes wander until I see the abandoned boxes on the table next to my bed. I sit up and pick up the two boxes and the envelope and lay them out on the bed in front of me. He sits up next to me and smiles.

"I'm guessing you want your presents now?"

"Maybe."

"Okay." He grins at me and starts to stand up. "Maybe we should get dressed first."

"Aw why?" I pout as he pulls on his boxers and jeans.

"Because this could either be a very nice moment." He leans down to kiss my neck. "Or I could ravage you."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

He chuckles and pulls away to pick up my dress. I just stare and smile at him as he guides it over my head and touches the revealed parts of my body right before the dress covers it. He pecks my lips one more time before walking away to put on his own shirt.

"Okay." He sighs as he sits down. "Go ahead."

He snakes his arm around my waist from behind and rests his chin on my shoulder as he watches me. I reach for the small white box, but he reaches out to stop my hand.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

"Nothing. I think you'll want to open the envelope first, that's all."

Without asking another question, I reach for the large yellow envelope instead. I tear open the top and pull out a single piece of paper. Just from the texture of it, I can tell that it came out of his sketchbook. When I turn it around, I can't help but smile as I see myself staring through the window like I do everyday in school. He captured every detail that I could possibly think of. He even drew the wrinkles in my old brown boots, which I had hooked around the bottom of the chair's leg. He drew my hand- the one that wasn't holding my head up- chipping at the wood of my desk. It takes my breath away every time I look at his art, but this time it's because I realize how he looks at me. He sees me in a way that nobody else does.

"Do you like it?" he asks after a few moments of silence.

"I love it." I lean back into him further and smile. "It's wonderful."

"If you like it that much, I can't even imagine how much you'll like your next gift."

I turn to look at him excitedly and he chuckles nervously. He lets go of my waist and moves to sit next to me. He picks up the smaller box and holds in between both of his hands as he stares down at it.

"You okay?"

"Fine." He smiles. "I just wanted to tell you before you open this..." He looks up and takes a deep breath. "You really are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you more than anything, and I can't imagine my life without you."

"I can't either," I whisper as his eyes start to look more glassy.

"I don't want this to end. And I think you know that." I nod and he sighs. "And I just want to show you how much you mean to me." He takes a shaky breath as he opens the box for me, and I gasp. "It's called a promise ring."

I gape at the ring before me. It's a simple silver band that loops into a heart, but it leaves me speechless. When I look up at him, I can tell that is worried and scared for my reaction. I try to say something to reassure him, but nothing comes. I just stare at him as tears form in my eyes. Finally, he leans forward slowly and carefully as if he's waiting to see if I'll pull away. And when I don't, he kisses me gently and I wrap my arms around his neck, wishing that this moment didn't have to end. But it does, and all too soon.

"What do you think?" he asks.

"It's perfect. I love it." He smiles and brushes the tip of his thumb under my eye to catch a tear. "I love you."

He pulls me into him again, and I can't help but smile at how relieved he is. I wonder if he really thought that I would say no to him after all this time. But I decide not to ask since I just want him to stay as happy as he is now. As soon as he pulls away, he takes the ring out of the box and starts to put it on my left ring finger.

"I promise to love you forever." My tears start to come out at these words, and I duck my head to stare down at our hands. "I promise to marry you one day."

I am too choked up to speak at the moment, but luckily he doesn't ask me to. He places the ring at the base of my finger before bringing my hand to his lips. When he pulls away, he seems surprised that I am crying even more now. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his shoulder so that he won't see it for long, and he hugs me tightly. I wish I could focus on the happiness of this moment, but my mind keeps wandering to our parents. If Peeta really wants to marry me, I can only hope that our parents will learn to accept us before that day comes.

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So I know that people don't usually like cotton candy style fluff in their lemons, but let's face it. I like to put them together sometimes because I have sick cravings. Like a pregnant woman. Without the pregnancy.

Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	14. Chapter 14

Hellooo! x

This chapter is a little short, but I've been very busy with all this college stuff. Sorry! I'll try to make the next one longer. Enjoy!

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(Peeta POV)

I still can't get this smile off my face. I haven't been able to since I saw the way that she looked at her ring. Not even when she sneaked me out of the house through the front door while her uncle slept on the sofa or when I ran back to the bakery. I even woke up smiling. Which might have been okay if I didn't share a room with my annoyingly condescending brother. But it didn't matter because even he couldn't wipe this stupid grin off my face. Since Mother is out and Father has caught a cold, there is nobody to tell my brother that he needs to be here to help me, so he leaves me to handle the bakery by myself. It is only fairly busy, but at least I can close early since it's a Sunday.

The door opens, and I hear someone's shoes clicking against the floor as they walk toward the counter. I dust my hands off on my apron hastily and yell that I will be out in a minute, but the person doesn't respond. Somehow I always manage to get the most quiet and rude customers, and it's usually pretty awkward. I sigh as walk into the main room, but I stop short as soon as I see who it is. She looks up from her phone and rolls her eyes, and I realize that we're both thinking the same thing: _Of all people._

"Hello, Mrs. Everdeen," I say quietly.

"Peeta." She nods curtly without even looking at me.

"Can I help you?" She looks up at me as I lean against the counter. "I mean, what are you looking to buy?"

"Oh. Well." A slight blush appears on her cheeks. "I just came to get some bread to eat with dinner... I thought your father would be here."

"He usually is, but he got sick." Her face softens a bit at this news. "It's really just a cold, but he can't be around the food until he's better. Wouldn't want to get a customer sick."

"Right, right." She clears her throat. "Well, then I'll take a loaf of bread please."

"Which kind?" I ask, gesturing to the different kinds of bread in the sample case.

"Surprise me."

I look at her for a moment to see if she is serious, but her face never changes. As soon as I realize this, I nod and choose a loaf of bread with raisins and nuts in it. I know that Katniss likes this one, and she told me that it was her uncle's favorite once. And that he would come to the bakery to buy this specific bread every time he came to visit them. When I glance up, I see that Ms. Everdeen is looking around, so I pick up a couple of cheese buns. They are Katniss's favorite, and Prim can try one too if Katniss is willing to share it with her.

"No, wait." She sighs in frustration. "I only wanted one loaf of bread."

"I know. These are on the house." I look up, and she furrows her eyebrows. "Comes with the bread."

"Right." She rolls her eyes and pulls out her wallet. "Then take the extra as your tip." She searches through her wallet for a moment then curses under her breath. "_Prim_... My daughter must have taken my money out of my wallet for lunch."

She sighs and drops her wallet back into her bag. She shrugs sheepishly and mutters some kind of apology before turning to leave.

"Wait! Ms. Everdeen!" She turns back around and looks at me as I rush toward her with the bag in my hand. "Here. You can take it. I'll pay for it."

"No, I really can't-"

"Please." She eyes me suspiciously. "It's really not a problem."

"What's your deal, kid?" she snaps. "You think I'll let you seduce my daughter in exchange for free bread?"

I almost smile at her ridiculous question, but it occurs to me that that won't exactly ease her nerves. She stares at me through narrowed eyes as I try to choose my words carefully. It's obvious that I'll only have one chance to change her mind.

"Ms. Everdeen, I know that you don't like me, and I don't blame you." She quirks her eyebrows like she wasn't expecting that, and I take a deep breath. "But Katniss is a very special girl, and she deserves to be happy." I smile as I look down at the bag in my hands. "I never _seduced_ your daughter. I told her that I love her, and she's been smiling ever since. Hasn't she?"

When I look up, she seems both surprised and confused. Even in this condition, I know that she's too stubborn to back down.

"I guess I'm just concerned about what will happen when you break her heart, and that smile disappears."

"I see." I can't help but smile again as she stares at me intensely. "Then I guess my only choice is to never break her heart."

A staring contest begins. It is impossible to tell just how much she hates me right now. I even wonder if I've made things worse, but I try to hold onto the hope that I may have changed her mind. I hold out the bag again. She takes it out of my hands without looking away or saying a word. The silence is only broken when she turns to leave and her heels smack against the floor. I take a deep breath and try one more time.

"Ms. Everdeen," I call out. She stops but doesn't look at me. "I know that my mother was never very kind to you, and I know that things didn't exactly end well between you and my father." I look down, knowing that my father wouldn't want me to be talking about this with Ms. Everdeen of all people. "But I promise that I'm not like either one of them. I'll do anything if you just give me a chance to prove that to you."

"You're their son," she says quietly almost like she was talking to herself. "All of you teen-aged boys are the same anyway."

"No, we're not." She finally turns to look at me, and I smile a little. "I'm just as similar to a typical teenage boy as Katniss is to a typical teenage girl. Think about it. Katniss wouldn't try so hard to be with me if I wasn't worth her time, and we both know that for a fact."

"Katniss is young. She's naive."

"She's not naive, and you should know that better than anyone."

I can see by the look on her face that I've struck a nerve. I don't know how or why, but I have. She doesn't say anything else- and I keep quiet as well- as she heads for the door again without another word. Everything is uncomfortably quiet after she leaves, and it takes me a moment to force myself to return to my work. The entire time, I hope that I haven't made things worse.

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More from Ms. Everdeen in the next chapter! ;) Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


	15. Chapter 15

Hellooo! x

I'm sorry that I took so long with this chapter, but I've been so busy with all my classes and work and whatnot. I think you guys will really like this chapter though, I hope it was worth the wait! Enjoy!

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I break one of the chocolate chip cookies in my hands as Prim picks up a sugar cookie from the box and looks at the beautiful icing design on top.

"It's almost too pretty to eat. I swear I'll never understand how he makes these so pretty."

"Me neither."

She giggles as she hesitantly bites into the cookie like it might explode if she bites down too hard. I smile as she closes her eyes and declares that it is in fact the best cookie ever.

"Okay." She puts it back down and dusts off her hands. "Now show me what you needed the chain for."

"I did say that you could finish a cookie first."

"No, you said that I could eat first." She smirks as she points the tiny bite that looks like it came from a mouse. "I ate."

"Fine." I roll my eyes and pull the ring out of my pocket, being careful to cover it with my hands. "Ready?"

"Oh wait hold on." She smooths down her hair, takes a deep breath, and giggles at the look that I give her. "Yes, I'm ready to see it!"

"Okay. Here it is." I uncover it and hold up the ring so that she can see it. "What do you think?"

"Whoa..." She gapes at it and leans in to see it from every angle possible. After she has seen every side of it, she smiles and looks up at me. "He got this for you?"

"Yes." I smile back proudly. "It's a promise ring."

"Promise ring?" I shush her and she puts her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god! Katniss, he seems so sweet. I wish you could bring him over here."

"Trust me. So do I." I sigh as I look down at the ring. "Do you have the chain?"

"Yeah." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a long, plain silver chain with a clasp at the end to close it behind the neck. "Is this good?"

"Perfect." She hands it to me, and I put the chain through the ring and hold it up by the ends. "Now I can wear it without Mom seeing it."

"So what is a promise ring?" she asks. "I mean, like, what does that mean?"

"It pretty much means that he wants to marry me," I say quietly as my cheeks turn red.

"What?" she shrieks. I jump and tell her to shut up so that they don't hear us, but she doesn't listen to me. "Are you serious? Oh my god, that's so adorable! Can I be a bridesmaid? Wait I'm your sister! I should be the maid of honor! I'm just saying!"

"Prim!" She looks at me finally, and I sigh. "That doesn't mean we're getting married tomorrow. It just means someday. And listen. You can't be talking so loud about these things. Mom already hates him, and she already hates me for _not_ hating him."

"I doubt that she-"

We hear a knock at the door, and we both freeze. I shove the ring and the chain into Prim's hand and whisper for her to hide it. She nods and shoves it into her pocket right before our mother walks in. Prim grabs her cookie and starts picking at it again as I look up to see what she wants.

"Can I come in?"

"You're already in," I mutter.

Prim looks up at me with the smallest hint of a smile on her face as my mother sighs and takes a couple steps closer to my bed.

"We need to talk," she says more firmly. "Prim, would you mind going downstairs with aunt Effie?"

"Sure," she says reluctantly as she pushes herself off my bed and closes the door behind her.

"Where did these come from?"

She points at the box of cookies as she sits down at the edge of my bed where Prim sat just a few seconds ago.

"They were a gift." I look down to avoid her eyes. "From Madge. For my birthday."

"I didn't see Madge come by."

"It was while you guys were shopping with Effie."

"We ran into Madge in one of the stores." I look up and she raises an eyebrow at me. "So who gave that to you?"

"I bought it," I mutter.

"Katniss, why are you lying?"

"What do you expect? Nothing good ever happens when I tell you the truth."

"If you had just been honest with me from the beginning-"

"I _was _honest with you from the beginning. I told you that I love him, and you yelled at me. You wouldn't even listen to my reasons. You just yelled at me and told me to stay away from him."

"And did you?"

"No." I cross my arms over my chest and look down. "But then again you never listened to me when I told you to go to work so that Prim wouldn't starve."

"Katniss." She sighs. "That's in the past."

"This could be too. If you would just talk to him, I know that you would like him too. He's not like his mother or his father. He's amazing, and he loves me."

"I know." She looks down at her lap, and those two words leave me too confused to reply. "I know he does."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said, but that was before."

"Before what?"

She looks down at the box of cookies next to her.

"Before I talked to him at the bakery today." She can probably see that I'm about to interrogate her, so she stops me. "I just wanted to get some bread for dinner. I didn't think he would be there, but it was only him. We ended up talking."

"About me?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes. And about him too."

"Okay." I stare at her, but she doesn't say anything. "What do you think now?"

"Katniss, this isn't so black and white." Her eyes wander to the picture of my father on my desk and she reaches for it. She holds it in both of her hands and smiles at it. "He reminds me of your father, you know."

"Peeta?" She nods without looking away from the photo. "How?"

"He seems to love you." Her finger traces the outline of his face. "He's very good with his words. You know, when I first started dating your father, my parents were livid." It seems more like she is talking to the picture than me, so I stay quiet to avoid breaking her out of her trance. "And he did the same thing as Peeta. He kept trying to convince them that he loved me and he couldn't care less if I was rich or poor. He would even argue with them sometimes. He just wanted a chance."

"Mom-"

"They called me naive, but I wasn't naive." She looks up at me. "I don't think you are either. You wouldn't have survived all that time if you were. I know that I wasn't there for you guys, but I really am proud of you for taking care of Prim."

"I don't..."

"I don't want the same thing to happen to you. I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want to be the one hurting you either. When- if- you have kids, you'll understand. This isn't an easy choice to make. There's so much behind it, and sometimes you just don't know what to do. I want to do what's right for you, but I don't know what's right. I choose _something _and I don't know what'll come of it. I can only hope that it's right."

"Mom." She shakes her head. "I get it. Okay?"

"I know you do." She chuckles shortly. "The worst part is when your child realizes it before you do. I know I was hard on you and Peeta, but I want you to understand why I was so worried about you."

"I do, but you don't have to worry anymore."

"I'll always be worrying, Katniss. I'm your mother. It's what I do."

"Then what are you saying?" I ask, hoping she won't break out of this good mood that she seems to be in.

"I'm not saying that you two can leave for hours on end without telling me where you are. I'm not saying you can go and do stupid things behind my back." She sighs. "But I am saying that I'll give him a chance."

She looks at me as if she's expecting an answer while I stare at her expecting her to take it back. Surely after all that's happened, she can't be serious. There's no way that she would just change her mind like this. There has to be some kind of catch.

"Are you serious?" I ask hesitantly.

She nods her head and smiles at me, and I keep staring at her. I'm not sure what I should do or if I should thank her. But she holds out her arms a few seconds later, and although I hesitate, I know that it's the least I could do in exchange for her acceptance. I hold out my arms too and accept her hug as I try to fathom the fact that one of our largest obstacles has suddenly disappeared.

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I noticed there was a lot of hating on Mrs. Everdeen... How about now? :P Please review to tell me what you think - I love hearing your opinion!


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